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Follow-up to the Gap logo fiasco

2011-02-09T09:33:00.005-05:00

So, in a previous post I talked about my biggest issue with the new Gap logo: they should not have abandoned the old design completely. They should have improved it, but not abandoned it.

AdFreak put together a list of 30 recent redesigns, which is an interesting examination of this design issue.

To me, Burger King, Cisco, KFC and UPS got it right

AOL and Kraft... not so much.

Now here's a twist on the whole issue. The exception to prove the rule if you will. See what Sprint did? They completely abandoned their logo, but with good intention. They redesigned the logo in conjunction with a major rebranding effort, supported with extensive mass media. Remember the pin-drop ads? Me too. The logo was redesigned to support that re-branding. The lesson being: if you are overhauling your brand, you have permission to overhaul your logo in support of it.

But only if you have Sprint money to do so.

SuperBowl Advertising Award Winners

2011-02-08T00:24:00.007-05:00

Well, it feels like Boxing Day all over again.

So much excitement was built up about this year's SuperBowl ads, and now that it's the day after, we are left to sort through all the gifts - to spend some serious time with the best ones and to re-wrap the crappy ones and send them back.

Here is my take. Enjoy! Comment. Share. Whatever!

1) Just Plain Hilarious Award:

- Best Buy "Ozzy vs. Bieber" (I mean c'mon, they got Bieber to admit that he looks like a girl!)

1.1) Just Plain Hilarious Runners Up:

- Doritos "Best Part" (he licked the dude's pants!)

- Snickers "Logging" (the actors are dinosaurs, but if you're old like me, you get it)

2) Awesome On So Many Levels Award:

- VW "The Force" (just watch and enjoy)

3) Marketing Fundamentals Award:

- eTrade "Cat" and "Tailor" (because they realize that with advertising, frequency and consistency is key)

4) More Damage Than Good Award:

- BMW "Defying Logic" (yup, this ad defies logic - BMW is successful because they AREN'T from USA... yet they go and do this?!?)

5) What the $&%# Award:

- GoDaddy.com "New .CO Girl" (...is Joan Rivers?!?!? Some things can't be unseen)

5.1) What the $&%# Runners Up:

- GM/Chevrolet "Status" (I get FaceBook, but does anyone REALLY want FaceBook updates from OnStar?... something about that just isn't right)

- Coca-Cola "Siege" (they usually get SuperBowl ads right, but I have to admit, I scratched my head on this one)

6) Taking the 'Sex Sells' Concept WAY Too Far Award:

- GoDaddy.com "The Contract" (I'm at the point where this offends me, so no, I won't go to your site to see more)

and the winner is......

7) The Best Overall SuperBowl Ad Award:

- Chrysler "Born of Fire"

I can't believe I gave Chrysler the highest honour, but I gotta hand it to them. They get TV ads. They understand that with this medium, you have to make a compelling brand promise, make it memorable, and glue it to your brand. I see too many ads that say something funny, but not compelling. I see too many ads that are so generic and bland that I have forgotten them before their 30 seconds are up. I see too many ads that are well done, but we forget who made them.

Chrysler got it all right.

They made a very strong statement, and they made it because they know that if they are to survive, they must appeal to the audience to whom the statement was directed. They made it memorable by conjuring up a new concept - that Detroit is back - and reinforcing it with a striking closing tag line: "Imported from Detroit". Finally, they imbedded the Chrysler brand in your memory by spending a good portion of their 2 minutes on the logo, including a fairly impressive, lengthy shot of a Chrysler grill.

It may not end up saving them, but given the challenges they face and the objectives they were surely given, this is the best possible execution. And it's better than the rest.

Soooooo....? Agree? Disagree?

Small Biz Tip: uber-simple landing pages

2010-12-19T08:55:00.004-05:00

Do you want more from your email and social media marketing efforts? First look at your landing pages.

Most of what you do online - especially email and social media campaigns - include links back to your web site. You have most likely designed the best campaign you can to encourage people to respond - to click on that link! But have you spent as much time designing your landing page as you did designing the campaign?

A landing page is the web page people "land" on when they click your link.

But what happens next?

That's the key to effective online campaigns - making that 'next step' as interesting and as effortless as possible.

If the browser lands on your Home page, they still have work to do. They have to navigate through the site to find the offer / product / information that inspired them to click-through in the first place.

If you ask the browser to do more work to find what they're after, they most likely won't. So all your efforts to inspire them to click-through are wasted!

Design a landing page that points them directly to the topic of the originating link. If you're offering a 50% discount on wrapping paper, create a page with a huge image of wrapping paper, a huge confirmation of the 50% offer, and a huge "Buy now" button. All they have to do is click the button - no real effort required. If you directed them to your web site and made them find the gift-wrap section, you're asking them to do too much.

Here's an example from Staples. If you were so inclined to click the link on the email for a refurbished computer, optical mouse or printer paper, you're only one more click away from having the product in your shopping cart. Simple. Effective. Effortless.

That's how you increase your chances of online marketing success.

LESSON FOR SMALL BUSINESS:

Every link you put out there through your marketing efforts should have a dedicated landing page.
Those landing pages need to be simple, obvious and effortless.
Don't forget to use web analytics to track campaign effectiveness (how many people land on the page; how many of them click to buy; how many of them actually buy and so on). Contact me for more information about web analytics tools and how to implement them (I don't sell them, so it's not a blatant pitch).

YOUR TURN:

Any favourite landing pages... or bad ones?

5 web site designs that rock

2010-12-14T21:40:00.009-05:00

I'm a web design minimalist. Less is more on Home pages, as these 5 demonstrate.

www.web2mobile.ca

www.apple.com

www.sethgodin.com

www.diyseo.com

www.twitter.com

TAKEAWAY FOR SMALL BUSINESS:

S.I.M.P.L.E.

YOUR TURN:

Any you want to add?

The 6 "p"s of marketing - open for debate

2010-12-01T15:22:00.005-05:00

OK - here's a topic that's surely up for debate: I believe there are 6 "p"s of marketing.

Those of us that studied marketing in university/college some ____ years ago learned the 4 "p"s of marketing: Product | Pricing | Promotions | Place.

The dominance of the internet in the marketing mix has expanded that list to 6, in my opinion. There are articles that talk about 4, 5, 6, 7 and even 8 "p"s, and the words that start with "p" aren't always the same. I've seen 'People' and 'Process' included in many lists, but I don't believe they contribute to the act of creating demand (the definition of marketing) as much as the other categories (open to debate!). I've also seen 'Physical Evidence', described (by valuebasedmanagement.net) as 'the ability and environment in which the service is delivered, both tangible goods that help to communicate and perform the service and intangible experience of existing customers and the ability of the business to relay that customer satisfaction to potential customers.' ... HUH?!?!?

Here's my list:

Product (How do you shape your offering to match consumer needs and build demand?)
Pricing (How does your pricing strategy support your positioning and generate demand?)
Place (Where do you need to be to reach your audience?)
Promotions (How do you tell people what you have to offer?)
(new) Positioning (What is your reputation? How do people describe your company? Why would anyone buy from you?)
(new) Conversations (Are you participating in the conversations that are taking place about you and your industry?)

OK, that last one doesn't start with "p", but I couldn't find an applicable and adequately descriptive word that did. The best I could come up with is "People Talking". Yep, I thought it was lame too. We've got 5 "p"s and a "c". Deal with it.

Social media, in case you were curious, fits clearly into the Conversations category. In fact, it was the catalyst in creating the category. Social media participation is just as important to the marketing mix as promotions or anything else. Deal with it. Embrace it.

LESSON FOR SMALL BUSINESS MARKETERS

As you create a marketing plan for your business, or as you make decisions to help build interest and demand, be sure to consider all 6 marketing categories. Promotions alone, which many businesses confuse for marketing, is insufficient for driving significant demand. You need to be creative and intentional in all 6 categories to be giving marketing the attention it deserves.

It also means you're that much more likely to build demand for your products and services, and what is there that's more important than that?

YOUR TURN

How is your list different, if at all?

Recession's over - how is your marketing positioned to capitalize?

2010-11-30T06:58:00.005-05:00

Yes, we've been in a recession.

As I talked about that with clients over the past couple of years, there were two primary responses:

"I have no money to spend on marketing - talk to me when the recession is over."
"I want to invest in marketing now so that when the recession is over, people will buy from me first."

Both are valid responses, although I'm sure you can guess which one I think is better.

Since the summer started, the TSE has risen consistently (from 11,093 on July 4th to a high of 13,052 on November 7th - that's over 17% growth in 4 months). Since March 2009 (7,567 on March 8th), it's up 72%. I'm thinking things are looking OK right now.

Sooooo....

OK, the recession is over, is your business investing in marketing again? How, exactly?
OK, the recession is over now, how did the marketing go? Are people buying from you?

The future is now, at least as it relates to the recession. What are you doing about it with respect to your marketing spend?

LESSONS FOR SMALL BUSINESS MARKETERS:

Marketing in down time is advantageous - just pick the inexpensive tactics!
Choosing not to market in down times puts you at a clear disadvantage (assuming at least a portion of your competition has decided otherwise)
Remember, marketing is the art and science of creating demand for your product. If you're not marketing (regardless of economic conditions), no demand is being generated. And without demand...

YOUR TURN

Any marketing success stories from the recession?

My new favourite web site

2010-11-24T23:21:00.006-05:00

www.customink.com. In particular, I like the "lab", where you can design custom apparel.

I found them through a Google search, and loved them right away. I'm making some custom t-shirts and the site is terrific. Here's why:

Everything you need is right in front of you. Through the clever use of tabs and icons that serve as link buttons, you never need to navigate away from the page - always keeping your t-shirt design right in front of you.
It's clean, but not bland. That's a significant accomplishment.
All the functions are obvious. If you find yourself asking "I wonder if I can...", the answer usually presents itself to you before you finish the thought. Terrific user experience.
You get exactly what you want. Promotional gear, exactly how you want it. And you can order 1 if you want.
They use words that everyday people use in everyday conversation, like "talk to a real person" and "super rush delivery". It's just nice to see a site that doesn't pretend to talk down to you.
Great main navigation: Home | Products | Ideas | Lab. That's it. Simpler is better.
OK, this next one isn't related to the site design at all, but it has to go on the list. Sorry. Their tag line is "You think it. We ink it." Does it get any better than that for the product they have? Genius.

(WEB DESIGN) LESSONS FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Simple is good
Clean is good
Tabs and buttons that keep you on a page as opposed to links that open new pages are great for enhancing the experience. You don't want people to get lost on your site. The "lab" on this site looks (to the user) like one page, yet you can do all kinds of things.
Put yourself in the customer's shoes, and imagine they are considering or buying your product in person. What would they want to see and do? Take that, and replicate it on your site to the greatest extent possible.
Use words and phrases that people actually use when they talk.

YOUR TURN:

What are you favourite sites from a design / user experience perspective?

What Rogers' $10-million fine teaches us about advertising

2010-11-24T00:26:00.006-05:00

The competition bureau has ruled that Rogers Communications has misled consumers with advertising that claims their new Chatr service is more reliable than its competition's services. It was found that despite Rogers' claims in their advertising, there was no discernible difference in dropped calls between their service and the ones offered by new entrants. This was deemed to be misleading and unduly damaging to the competition, and could end up in a fine of $10-million or more (if the judge agrees to retribution for consumers).

Now, Rogers is certainly being held up as an example, and it's easier to pick on the big boys, but it does bring to light some important lessons that small businesses and marketers should remember as you advertise:

Don't make a claim you can't support. Simply saying that your product is "the best" without backing it up is lazy and, it would seem, potentially costly for you!
If your competition is making claims that you know they can't support, you have an avenue for challenging their claims.
If you do have data to support your claim, make sure it's good data. Rogers is fighting this ruling, but I wonder how valid their data is. Don't just go ask 3 of your friends if your pizza is the best pizza they've ever tasted then call it the "Best tasting pizza in _____" (makes you wonder how many dentists were actually surveyed to support the claim "4 out of 5 dentists recommend ____" - perhaps 5?).
Be specific with claims. Don't say you have the best pizza, say you have the best Hawaiian pizza East of Hawaii. Helps your product stick out in the consumers' minds.
If I read/see/hear one more company claim to have "the best quality, price and service", I'm going to... You can't be all 3!

Sure, you only have 140 characters, but you're still talking

2010-11-17T21:35:00.006-05:00

The first thing to remember about social networking, and Twitter in particular, is that you are having conversations. Many try to promote with social tools, but first and foremost, social networking is about starting and participating in conversations.

In the case of Twitter, you are limited in what you "say" to 140 characters (which would be a nice limit for live conversations with some people!), but you still need to remember that real people are "listening", which should guide your tweets.

Go ahead and use shrtfrms & spcl chars, but remember, you are what you say.

For example, this tweeter includes in his tweet: "... a great post from me..."

A bit on the arrogant side, wouldn't you say?

TAKEAWAY FOR BUSINESSES

Remember that you are what you tweet.
If you have people in your business tweeting on the business' behalf, are they supported with guidelines and policies for tweeting?
Think of social networking interactions as real conversations with real people

The top 2 rules for advertising

2010-10-26T00:42:00.006-04:00

Rule #1: Advertise where your customers shop

Rule #2: Make that ad stand out from all the other ads

Rolex puts both rules into play with this clever ad on pgatour.com

See what they did there? They advertised on pgatour.com, since (presumably) male golfers are their target audience. And to stand out from the other online ads on the site, they did three things. First, the hands of the watch move in real time (take my word for it). Second, the ad shows the time zone you're in and compares it to the time zone of the tournament you're watching. Third, their ad showed up when I clicked on tee times. Get it?

It's a very atypical ad, in a good way. Noticeable. Clever. Well done Rolex.

LESSONS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES:

Well, to reiterate:

Advertise where your customers shop
Advertise cleverly; creatively

Gap: "We have a new logo?"

2010-10-11T01:49:00.006-04:00

This is part 2 of 2-part blog about Gap and their recent logo redesign. Part 1 focused on the design itself. This part focuses on the roll-out of their logo redesign.

"We have a new logo!"

"We have a new logo?"

How would you rather announce to the world that you have a new logo?

Gap appears to have taken the timid, experimental, almost apologetic approach to a logo redesign.

In a recent Advertising Age article, Gap's spokesperson: 1) confirmed that the new logo was NOT a joke (as many people believed), but more importantly 2) confirmed that they had planned all along to roll out the new logo by placing it on their North American web site... ONLY.

That's just the wrong way to roll out a logo redesign.

It's as though they're standing outside of the meeting room, sliding the idea under the door, then listening through a glass pressed up against the door to see how people will react.

Now they've gone so far as to: 1) admit it was experimental in nature ("to monitor responses") and 2) write a FaceBook post that solicits new logo ideas!

As though they burst in to the meeting room yelling "Psych! We weren't really going to do this!" when they really were.

Now it just so happens that the design is in fact poor, and that the response has been overwhelmingly negative, so they've paved the way for retracting their new logo experiment without too much invested. But they were setting themselves up for failure by the method of the roll out.

They didn't do anything other than post the new logo on the web site. Their corporate FaceBook page had the old logo. And the challenge page (where you select your country) on the web site even had the old logo!

Exceedingly poor execution of a strategically monumental undertaking, with an overwhelmingly negative impact on their brand reputation.

LESSON FOR BUSINESS OWNERS / EXECUTIVES:

Create a detailed, coordinated, thorough (internal) roll-out plan (including FaceBook page updates!) for re-branding roll-outs
Have a similarly coordinated internal communications plan
Have a similarly coordinated media launch
Announce your new logo with pride and conviction!

Gap goes too far with new logo

2010-10-06T14:05:00.010-04:00

This is Part 1 of a 2-part blog about Gap and their recent logo redesign. Part 2 will refer to their execution of the logo refresh. This post discusses their new logo choice.

I am a strong believer in the power of branding and the importance of a branding "refresh". I think, though, that Gap may have missed the mark a bit.

I am mostly interested in your opinion! But first, here's mine:

The first step in a logo redesign, as a part of a branding refresh (logo design is but one of many elements of a branding initiative), is to consider the status of the logo and/or company. For most companies on the planet, a creative new logo with a fresh new look can set a company apart, draw new attention to the business, start conversations and cause refreshed interest in the brand.

There is a handful of companies, though, whose logo has reached iconic status. Nike. Apple. Pepsi. Microsoft.

It is my opinion that Gap is... or was... on this list.

Once you have this status with a logo concept, don't mess with it!

It is possible, and even advisable, to delicately modify or update a logo as part of a branding refresh. Apple removed the rainbow colours, but kept the shape intact. Pepsi overhauled their typeface, but maintained the red/blue sphere.

Gap went a bit too far. They maintained (although somewhat diminished) the blue square. But to me, the uniqueness of the typeface is what established their iconic status. They have abandoned that altogether. They even went with boring old Helvetica font!

Refreshing an iconic logo as part of a branding initiative - OK. Abandoning an iconic logo - not OK.

Imagine Nike abandoning the swoosh. Bad idea, right? Why, then, did Gap abandon the key elements of their iconic logo? To me, they went too far and have created a negative brand experience.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

When was the last time your business went through a branding initiative - an exercise in establishing (or modifying) your reputation in your market? Chances are you're overdue!
Your logo is not your brand. Your brand is the series of thoughts, impressions and feelings that are associated with your company name and logo. Do you know what they are for your business?
Execution of a branding initiative is perhaps the most important part - more on that in Part 2!

NOW TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THE GAP LOGO!

Social Media "Experts" and pizza delivery drivers - the similarities

2010-09-19T00:13:00.005-04:00

Social Media Expert. Sounds good, doesn't it?

If I had a nickel for every Social Media Expert I came across, this blog post would be about how close I came to an ace back on 16.

"Expert" is a term used very loosely, which intrigues me.

To me, an expert is someone with unique, specialized knowledge that is practically inaccessible to the average person.

Neurosurgeons. Laser Scientists. Nuclear Chemists. Those are experts.

Dominos Pizza, I noticed, is referring to themselves as "Pizza Delivery Experts". Really? Is it especially difficult to acquire the knowledge needed to put a pizza in a car and find an address?

Though not to the same extent, I feel the same way about "Social Media Experts". It is not especially difficult to acquire the knowledge needed to participate in online conversations. The difference between simply doing it and doing it well is noticeable. But the point is, with a little effort and dedication, anyone can do it. Some will be better than others because they possess that charisma and appeal (yes, it's evident even online) that makes them popular and respected. Others will be successful because they engage in the online experience more frequently, and for longer periods of time. But all that being said, there's no reason to think that everyday people can't discover the keys to social networking prominence.

I call myself an Advisor. I have advice that I can offer to people and organizations less inclined to make the effort that I have made. If I do my job well, I will share with them all the techniques I have come to embrace in a manner that inspires them to participate in the movement.

My good friend @HiDavidHicks has a blog called hibasme, which is an acronym for How I Became A Social Media Enthusiast. I like that.

I also like that Subway Restaurants now refers to their minimum-wage, behind-the-counter staff as "Sandwich Artists" rather than "Sandwich Experts".

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

You will come across many Social Media Experts. Some much better than others. The best you can do is determine for yourself what you want to take from them, then have them convince you they can do that.
The next best thing you can do is try it for yourself. If you have the inclination and the (ever-elusive) time, set up some profiles/accounts/pages and play around. Listen. Engage. Take notice of what you like and apply that to your business.
Finally, in your own company, be careful about labeling yourself as something that you aren't. Your customers will notice and you will lose valuable credibility and brand respect.

Always interested in opinion... especially from Experts!

We are never free of SPAM! An ugly example of Twitter spam.

2010-09-16T01:09:00.004-04:00

I continue to have mixed emotions about Twitter.

Don't get me wrong - I like Twitter. I think it allows people... and business... to interact, share, learn and grow. Never before in our history have we been able to share thoughts and content so quickly to so many people. There is good in that on its own.

There are just too many examples of Twitter abuse which continue to taint my impression of its value slightly. Mostly, I see through the abuse and place blame on the Tweeter, not on Twitter. But my Twitter experience is still diminished slightly.

Case in point: this example of Twitter spam.

This is further proof that we are NEVER free of unwanted messages, no matter where we are.

This Tweeter follows NO ONE, has 568 Tweets (at time of writing), each about a topic they are hoping will catch someone's attention. The theory is, if the Tweet is interesting, someone will click on the link. Then they have you - they've directed your interest to their site, where they bombard you with whatever message (unwanted, at that) they choose to promote. Spam. What's more, they've included a random Twitter address. This increases the likelihood someone will notice the Tweet and click on the link (since those random addresses will show up in the "Mentions" section of that person's Home page). It's just another obtrusive tactic to insincerely get your attention.

They have no interest in engaging in a conversation, which is the purpose of Twitter (and other social sites). Their only interest is pushing a message out to you (surreptitiously) when you didn't really want it.

That's spam.

Shame on you, Trixa, and the others like you.

You're giving Twitter a bad name, which it does not deserve.

How to steal customers from your competition (or in this case, how NOT to)

2010-08-27T19:20:00.004-04:00

If a competitor of yours screwed up and that customer came to you looking for help in fixing the mistake, what would you do?

Today I was getting a haircut and I overheard (not that it was hard - they were NOT being discreet... that's a whole other issue) the staff talking about a person that had their hair dyed at a competitor, but it turned out green by mistake. I gather that the competitor couldn't fix the problem, so the customer - let's call him/her Kermit - called the barber shop I was in looking for help.

Each staff member was quite adamant that they did NOT want to try to fix Kermit's problem, citing the potential damage to their reputation if they were unable to fix the problem.

Come again?!?!?

Let me see if I got this straight: A potential customer has come to your door, asking to give you money and be the hero that your competition couldn't be... and you turn them away?

They were worried that their reputation would be tarnished if it didn't go well, and that it would be a waste of product.

HUH?!?

Tell the customer you will do your best, but there are no guarantees in a case like this, then give it a shot! If it doesn't work, it's not your reputation that's tarnished. It's still the competitor's problem (which they couldn't fix either). Sure, you used some product and some time, but Kermit PAID FOR THAT! You're no worse off then before you started. And in fact, TURNING THEM AWAY IS THE BEST WAY TO RUIN YOUR REPUTATION! That would be admitting to this potential customer that you are just as inept as the first shop.

Imagine if it works and you fix the problem! You can't buy that kind of press!

Now think of what Kermit is saying to his/her friends right now: 1) Barber shop A screwed up. 2) Barber shop B wouldn't help me. Do you think that's doing you any favours? Nope. Now think of what Kermit would say if you were the hero!

In an economy that's so tight, you have to fight for every last customer.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS:

Do a better job than your competition.
When a potential customer comes to you asking to give you money, say 'yes'. Even if you don't want to. The downside of turning them away is FAR greater.
Empower your employees to think up reasons to take on more business, not shoo it away.

Your turn: You know where I stand on the issue. How about you? Do you think the risk is greater than I do?

Getting less than you paid for, courtesy Starbucks

2010-08-25T01:57:00.005-04:00

I have written before about the damage that can be done to your brand reputation by failing to meet customer expectations. Well, Starbucks, your turn.

The other day I bought one of their fruit and yogurt parfaits. This is what it looked like, before I took a single bite. No, this is not Photoshopped - it IS more than half EMPTY.

And I paid $3.95 plus tax for about 5 spoonfuls of yogurt and fruit.

Now, I know that they are positioning themselves as a premium brand with quality products and, subsequently, higher prices. I get that. But this is a clear example of the brand's inability to keep the promise they made to the consumer (this isn't the only lame parfait I've had). I expect a quality product. They charge more for their coffee than Tim Hortons does because it's better. This should be a better parfait than Tim Hortons', but it ISN'T.

My belief (created by their branding efforts) that they offer a premium product has been contradicted by the quality of the product itself. That's Damaging Your Brand, 101.

Think of it this way: If every BMW you bought only went as fast as a Kia, would you believe that they are the "ultimate driving machine"? Would you pay three times the price? Didn't think so.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS:

If you haven't already, make a clear brand promise to your customers.
Deliver on that promise with all that you do.
Listen to your customers and respond every time a customer's expectations have not been met.

Your turn: Any examples of the product not meeting the promise it set for itself?

Editor's note: Here's another bad example, this time courtesy Nutrition House.

I really don't know what to make of Twitter, in many cases!

2010-07-22T00:18:00.003-04:00

I have written a number of posts now about the peculiarities of Twitter that sometimes make me wonder if Twitter deserves all the credit it is receiving.

Now, I have to admit that Twitter has obviously, with 100 million users, reached a point where it's ingrained in our collective online experience. These peculiarities will not adversely affect its popularity or importance. But, if I can bring some attention to these things that bother me a bit, perhaps I can make a minor contribution to improving the experience for people.

Or at least I might feel better getting some of these things off my chest.

This tweeter has 3 lousy tweets, yet 14,000 followers. There is no chance 14,000 people are interested in what this person has to say. The fact that he follows 14,000 people leads me to believe he's part of the auto-follow community - tweeters who follow auto-followers to build their follower list. They share nothing and gain nothing. They only build their follower list to feel good about themselves.

To me it's an obvious abuse of the application's main feature.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

ONLY FOLLOW TWEETERS THAT INTEREST YOU.
There's no point in growing a list of auto-followers, because they're not interested in you, so they won't read anything you have to say anyway.
Say something interesting!
Some people will say that maximizing your following is manageable by creating "lists" of followers and people you follow. OK, but you still need to say something interesting (see #3)!

Customer information is like gold to marketers - handle it with care!

2010-07-20T07:34:00.003-04:00

For all businesses, and especially those that classify themselves as small or medium-sized, good customer data is the cornerstone of any decent marketing function.

Email marketing, the second most important marketing tactic according to marketingsherpa.com (next to social network marketing), is quite simply impossible without good email addresses. Direct mail, making a comeback of late, also depends on accurate data.

We all know how hard good data is to collect. Marketers want it, and consumers want to protect it, thus creating the most significant struggle marketers face. So when we have an opportunity to collect it, what can be more important than showing gratitude to the prospect for their willingness to offer it to us, and thanking them afterwards?

Still, I see examples of unappreciative data collection, which to me is quite troubling.

Take this example: This is the online registration process for submitting a classified ad in our local newspaper. As you can see, there is no indication of how my information will be treated by this organization. I am asked to submit my information and move on to the next step without being promised that my information won't be sold to the highest bidder. In this case, because I am the one that wants to place an ad and I'm led to believe that this is the only way to do it, I am forced to submit.

They are saying to me: "we don't really care what privacy concerns you have, if you want a classified ad, this is what you have to do."

Not exactly the treatment I expect as a prospective customer.

And they SHOULD be treating me better than this. This is a newspaper! Newspapers, perhaps more so than any other type of business, are threatened by the prevalence of online news and information. They need my information. They need me to like them. They need to treat me better than that. If I had a better online experience with them, I might be more tempted to subscribe to their paper. Instead, I will rely on local web sites and media sites for my news, thank you.

After some digging, I did discover that they have a decent privacy policy, but I shouldn't have to dig! Make it obvious for me early on in the process and treat me like the valued prospective customer that I am.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

You need good customer information. Check the accuracy of the information you have.
When you have an opportunity to collect customer information, there should be nothing more obvious than the privacy policy (only a link to it is required) that dictates how delicately you will treat it.
Your privacy policy better not be three pages of legalese.
Thank the customer for it!
Give them something in return! You can sell them something later. Now is the time to thank them.

When this happens, I'm ashamed to call myself a marketer

2010-07-13T20:24:00.005-04:00

I choose to believe that most marketers are good.

Most believe in accurately, appropriately and professionally representing their brands in order to generate genuine demand based on valid product value.

Then this happens, and it tarnishes our reputation.

The decent among us step out of our comfort zone and curse them.

This company is assuming, or at least hoping, that consumers are stupid.

This is a scratch-and-win (looking) card which appeared in my mailbox today. You are meant to believe, like with any other scratch-and-win game, that if you uncover a certain result, you win the corresponding prize.

Not so in this case.

In this case, you are CERTAIN to uncover a "winning" pattern. Once you do, you "may" win one of the listed prizes. All you have to do, of course, is call the "prize hotline" to find out what you CAN win.

I'm sure this company (they never reveal themselves, interestingly) is hoping that people say "Sure! Let's call the number to see what I won!" Hoping that the customer does NOT read the fine print.

I read it.

First of all, the prizes listed are "available at the outset of the game; prizes diminish as prizes are awarded" - their way of saying 'we can decide who gets the best prizes'. How are prizes allocated you ask? Well, they are "determined by the company's master list" - their way of saying 'we can assign you whatever prize we wish'. Oh, and if the prize is "unavailable, sponsor may substitute" - their way of saying 'you may not even get one of the prizes you were expecting'. Then, in order to claim this mystery prize, you need to agree to a "product presentation". Ah, yes, of course I do.

OK, so now on to the odds of winning: 1 in 800,000 for the grand prize (but don't forget, it has probably been preferentially "awarded" to someone else, or the prize may have been magically substituted for something else); 875 in 1000 (that means almost 9 out of 10) for the hotel stay. Ah, that's where they get you. You are almost certainly awarded the hotel stay "prize". They lure you with the thought of a free vacation, then force you to endure their "presentation" - the ensuing barrage of pressure sales tactics for whatever it is they're pushing (which is never mentioned, by the way).

Makes me want to puke.

Who is oblivious enough to fall for this?

More importantly (to me), how do the marketers that conjured up this scam sleep at night?

They have no integrity. No morality. No professionalism. No dignity.

Sadly, they can call themselves marketers, as I do.

I am ashamed to be associated with them by any description.

So endeth my rant for the day.

To create a good home page... don't do this.

2010-07-06T23:24:00.005-04:00

Every once in a while, a web site home page catches my attention, for the wrong reasons.

In this case, the London Health Sciences Centre.

Newspaper people use the term "above the fold" - the top half of the front page - to describe the most important portion of the paper. That term has carried over into internet vernacular, and appropriately so. The information on your home page that fits into the browser's screen (without scrolling down) is the most important portion of your entire site. LHSC has used that prime real estate for... the colour brown. What do we, the browsers, gain from looking at the colour brown? That's right. Nothing.

I took a screen shot of this home page a week ago or so, so I figured I should revisit the site to see if they had changed it since. Much to my surprise, they made the SAME critical error with their updated home page!

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

What does your home page say "above the fold"? More importantly, is it useful to the browser? And a photo of your building and the number of years you have been in business is NOT useful to anyone. Nice try.
Use this space to tell the browser why they should spend any time on this site.
Tell them why they should do business with you.
Tell them how they will benefit from using your product.
Tell them something!

YOUR TURN:

What are your favourite home pages?

Direct mail can work... except when it looks like this!

2010-06-16T21:54:00.009-04:00

Direct mail is making a comeback.

When you hear of the term "junk mail" today, you're probably thinking about the junk you get in your email inbox. Believe it or not, junk mail used to actually refer to... wait for it... MAIL!

The ease and affordability of email made it the golden child of marketing, but also made consumers an easier target for junk email. But as consumers become more spam-filter-savvy and as corporations block more and more unidentified inbound email, marketers (at least the progressive ones) are returning to direct mail, and getting much better at it.

There is still less promotional mail than in its heyday, but some direct mail packages are personalized, sophisticated, impressive and in many cases compelling (inspiring the marketer's desired response).

However, as much as I applaud marketers for their clever return to direct mail, I cringe when I see stuff like this (click on the image) in my mailbox.

This company really tried hard. They went door-to-door (no postage) and tried to deliver a compelling message. I still don't know what that message is, because there is NO CHANCE I am going to read this.

Neither are you.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

Please, if you're considering a return to promotional mail, remember:

Keep it simple (which means SHORT)
Make it pleasing to the eye (my eye needs to be drawn to it, but not overwhelmed)
Include an offer that is really hard to turn down or ignore. No more "10% off online orders" or "save the tax". It may seem like a lot to offer, but it's truly not enough. Give away something valuable for free (no free fridge magnets!) or consider the deepest possible discount without having to declare bankruptcy.
Think about the last item YOU got in the mail that inspired you to act in some way. What made it so effective? Can you use that tactic in your program?
Make it easy for them to act. A simple phone number or url (acme.com/mailoffer for example)
Once is never enough. Send multiple mailings. Remember that people need to hear something 6 or 7 times before they actually HEAR it. Oh, and never send another mail offer to someone that's already responded! Pay attention to the details.
Ask for feedback. Ask friends, colleagues, family members if they would be compelled. Don't try too hard to measure the results - direct mail often just build brand awareness. But you can get opinions about your program and work on improving the next one.

Hey, CEO, nothing you do matters!

2010-06-01T21:37:00.007-04:00

C-Suite Executives, Brand Managers, Marketing Directors and Ad Agencies spend hundreds of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to be clever enough to convince their audience to be interested in their product over someone else's.

Guess what CEO, nothing you do matters.

That's right. All the best ideas you and your marketing people have are no match for the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of the grumpy, underpaid, unappreciated staff standing behind the cash register.

Case in point #1.

I was in Fabricland today (yes, I am that confident in my masculinity) and the woman in line ahead of me was turned away, yes turned away, by the cashier.

The conversation went something like this:

Customer: "So, I'm interested in the points program you have for regular customers."
Cashier: "That program expires at the end of August, and you'll have to pay again at that point."
Customer: "So, you're saying I shouldn't bother."
Cashier: "I wouldn't bother."

Here's another way of interpreting that conversation:

Customer: "I'd like to buy what you're selling."
Cashier: "Don't bother."

And the cashier looked a LOT like this person.

I can see them now - all the corporate executives, marketing people and agencies sitting around a table trying to design a loyalty program that is more attractive that the competition's; that will inspire customers to return; that will sell more products. They come up with a program that is so good, people come in the store asking for it.... only to be... yes... turned away.

All the brightest talent working on their best ideas, completely undone by the crotchety, hourly staffer counting the minutes until she can go home.

You've heard it before but you need to hear it again: your front-line staff are the face of your company. They create your brand. They sell your products. They cross-sell. They leave an impression.

Invest in them.

At least give them some scripting about how to address the new loyalty program with customers!

Case in point #2.

Me (at the gas station): "Why would I pay for the deluxe wash instead of the regular wash?"
Cashier: "I'm not sure."
Me: "OK, then I guess I won't bother."

Read my earlier post for the details on this one.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU

Spend some time mystery shopping your own stores. You'll be amazed!
Spend the 14 minutes it takes to write up some proper training / scripting guides for the front-line staff.
Hire better. It's 2010 - lots of people looking for work!

Surely you have some examples of really crappy front-line service. Post a comment with your experiences!

First rule of marketing: advertise where your customers shop

2010-05-24T01:48:00.004-04:00

I talk a lot about companies that waste money on advertising in markets where only a small portion of the audience is in their target market or worse, to people that aren't in their target market at all.

Here's a previous post about a company that got this HORRIBLY wrong (Lab Safety Supply), very expensively.

Today's post is about a company that got it BANG ON (Pfaff Porsche).

I can hear the decision process perfectly. "Where would our potential car buyers shop? Well, some of them would be on AutoTrader, and they likely did a search for 'Porsche'".

Ah, music to my ears! Much like the sound of their engines.... not like I'd know!

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

It's a simple question. The answers you come up with form the foundation of your marketing plan.

Kevin Smith blasts SWA - a lesson in Twitter and PR damage control

2010-05-22T11:00:00.007-04:00

As I'm sure you know from glancing at the tabloids in the supermarket checkout, Kevin Smith was refused a seat on the plane because they said he needed to buy two seats.

On May 17 he agreed to call in to 102.1 in Toronto, and had plenty to say about the incident. Here's the podcast.

He feels he was treated unfairly and used Twitter to host a serious rant. They (SouthWest Airlines) attempted PR damage control with social media as well, but were essentially sticking by their policies.

What do you think? Should companies be bullied by... or "accommodate" tweeters and bloggers or should they hold their ground in the face of serious PR damage via social media?

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

Track mentions of your business in the internet - it's easy! (start with Google Alerts)
Have a policy for responding to negative press, particularly when it comes via social networking
A little latitude in your policies, please!
Always take a step back and consider whether or not you're being reasonable! What would a normal person expect to hear from you / expect you to do?

CIBC fixes its direct mail program

2010-05-04T18:27:00.005-04:00

A short while ago I posted a brief criticism of CIBC for sending me a direct mail package that tried to convince me to sign up for a card I already owned.

Well, just like McNain before it, CIBC has been influenced by the power and reach of my blog (what's the punctuation for sarcasm again?) and has dramatically improved its direct mail program.

As this photo attempts to show, they not only figured out that I already have the card, but they suggested I visit a LOCAL establishment (which is saying something, given that I live in a town of 33,000) to earn extra loyalty points.

So, it appears that their database and direct mail marketing staff has figured out exactly who owns what product, AND has established marketing partnerships in each cardholder's home town.

Now THAT'S direct / 1:1 marketing.

Marketers take note.

TAKEAWAYS FOR YOU:

If you don't have this level of detail about your clients, get it.
If you do have it / once you do get it, USE IT.

Burger King ad - do you like it?

2010-04-12T10:01:00.006-04:00

In this ad, Burger King comes right out and admits they stole their new idea from an existing McDonald's product.

I like the honesty and creativity. I like the bravery. I like the fact that their sticking an idea out there and saying "deal with it". I like that they're trying to stick out from the crowd.

There are lots of reasons it's a terrible ideas as well (imagine you're BK's ad agency, and you decide to pitch an idea where you admit on TV that you stole an idea from McD's - oh, to be a fly on the wall), but I'm on the "like it" side.

You?

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

In heavily competitive markets (anyone know one that isn't?), you have to give someone a reason to buy from you as opposed to your competition. BK took a stab at that by offering theirs for $1.
Copycat product marketing is essentially admitting that you are lesser in some way than your competition. Just be aware of that and address the issue accordingly.

National Car Rental - Zero to Hero in 14 seconds!

2010-04-07T11:26:00.004-04:00

So, I received a letter in the mail today from National Car Rental, who wanted to charge me $1.00 (plus a $10.00 "Administration Fee", of course) because, apparently, I missed a toll at the Orlando airport. Of course, "in accordance with the terms of your rental agreement, you are responsible for all violations and toll fees".

First of all, I wasn't even at the Orlando airport on the date of the infraction.

Second of all, IT'S $1.00!!

Third of all, don't get me started about this $10.00 administration fee.

So now I'm steamed. I'm thinking about all the arguments I will make, how angrily I will speak with them, how I will destroy their reputation on my wildly influential marketing blog! But first, a call to their appeals department. Mostly because I don't remember running any toll gates, but also because I'm going to tear a strip out of them!

Well, the most unexpected series of events transpired next. For one, they answered the phone right away - no tedious recorded-voice menu labyrinth. But even more impressively, the person I spoke to on the phone - presumably someone fairly junior among the National ranks - immediately reversed the charge. It took maybe 14 seconds. I'm not saying anyone can just call up and get their charges reversed, I'm just saying that in this case, she quickly realized that the best outcome for everyone was to just get rid of it. And she had the authority to do so.

Wow.

Well done National. You probably should never have sent the notice in the first place, but you stepped up and did the right thing.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

1) Try to imagine how your policies and customer service processes affects your reputation.

I'm sure National's policy and process is to automatically send notices to all customers that incur external charges. Makes sense, but doesn't help their reputation in a case like this. How hard would it have been to include a sub-process that eliminates all notices of, say, $5.00 or less. Just pay it. They save all kinds of administrative time and money and avoid any possible brand damage.

2) Try to give authority to the lowest level possible.

I know it's hard to delegate responsibility and authority without jeopardizing control and compliance, but imagine how I would have felt if some bureaucratic appeals process was necessary to get my $1.00 back.

In short, keep your customers happy, not your COO.

YOUR TURN:

Comment with some of your customer service nightmares / success stories.

Credit where credit is due - they fixed their mistake!

2010-03-30T23:21:00.004-04:00

In an earlier post I called out McNain TV for creating possibly the worst flyer in history (NO contact information - had no idea where they were located or how to reach them).

Seems they have realized the error in their ways. Their most recent flyer clearly displays their locations, phone numbers and web site. I'd like to think they read this truly influential marketing blog and discovered their blunder in the post and corrected it immediately, but I'm sure they figured it out on their own. After all, it couldn't have been that hard to notice an oversight like that!

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

Proof read, proof read, proof read.
Have someone not connected to the project look it over. I'm sure someone from Accounting would have said something about missing contact information.

It has started: the death of web sites as we know them!

2010-03-22T01:42:00.003-04:00

Check out this online ad for Heineken Light

Notice anything odd?

1) Prominence of Facebook link
2) ABSENCE of any Heineken brand web address

Not even the slightest reference to www.heineken.com.

This is not the only example I've seen lately. Many brands are using Facebook as their landing page for ad campaigns. And it's not limited to online campaigns - I'm noticing this development on TV too.

Wow.

The power of Facebook.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

Get a Facebook page... NOW! If you have one already, use it more!

Irresponsible advertising - Ford's turn

2010-03-15T21:35:00.004-04:00

In recent posts I've called out BMW for irresponsible advertising (talk about one car, show a picture of another, and pass them off as the same car) and Ford for competing with itself.

Well, time to talk about Ford's irresponsible advertising.

In this ad, their headline is: "Ford sweeps North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards"

So, how would you interpret that? To use the word "sweeps" implies that several awards were won, across several categories, and from several reviewers.

But no.

They had one car that won one award in one category, and one truck that won one award in another category. That's HARDLY "sweeping" the awards, as the headline claims. Plus, you can't tell who awarded these titles.

They're clearly trying to create an impression that they win all kinds of awards for their cars by stretching the truth and using carefully selected words to deceive the audience.

Sadly, it's probably working (because the ad itself is so boring that it's unlikely that anyone, other than me, will read the copy).

Doesn't mean it's not irresponsible.

TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

Don't try to be something you're not. Let your product/service do the talking.
Maintain your integrity.
Maintain your ability to look yourself in the mirror.

Your brand reputation will thank you.

How NOT to ask your customers for their opinion

2010-03-09T11:00:00.005-05:00

I received this request to fill out a customer survey the other day, and shockingly, I was NOT inspired to complete it.

I'm sure I don't need to explain why. Here is the invitation (I decided to disguise the company name as ABC):

To All Participants in ABC Program,

The ABC Board has been leading a strategic plan development process with the assistance of an external consultant who is very experienced in this area. At the 2009 AGM, the members identified some key areas of activity. Before moving forward, we would like to gather feedback from all levels within the ABC membership, from members, participants, supporters, and from administrators to volunteers. Linked are the key strategic issues identified by the membership and below is a link to the online survey.

http://www.abccompany.ca/strategic_direction_2010_en.pdf

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/abccompany

Please respond to the survey by March 12, 2010

Thank you,

ABC Board of Directors

Oh gee, let me stop what I'm doing and take time out of my day to help you, with no indication of how it will help me. I know some companies expect that customers will simply be pleased to provide input for the sake of participating in the process, but there aren't many of those around!

Surveys are hard because you are asking people to spend a specific amount of time, and you want enough people to respond so that you have results that mean something.

In this particular case:

They didn't tell me how long it would take
They didn't tell me how I might benefit (do I get the results? improved service? anything?)
They didn't express any gratitude for my participation or recognition of the value of my time
They talked only about what they needed for them - completely one sided

Basically, they didn't do anything to inspire me to participate. Good luck!

And they mention that they are getting assistance from a consultant who is "very experienced in this area". If this survey request is any indication, that consultant either a) had no input on the survey request process, or b) has insufficient experience.

THE TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

When you ask customers for their opinion:

Thank them in advance.
Recognize that their time is valuable.
Tell them how much of their time you need.
Recognize that their opinion matters.
Offer them something in exchange for their opinion (at least a summary of the results, maybe even something valuable, like an entry in a draw or a gift certificate).
Keep asking until you get a relatively statistically significant number of responses.
Follow up with them afterwards so they know their opinion was received, included and valued.

Effective outside-the-box thinking? Or cheesy marketing tactic?

2010-02-23T05:49:00.006-05:00

In my Marketing Fundamentals seminar I have a mantra that gets repeated over and over: "creativity counts".

Marketers need to be thinking creatively about how to stand out from the competition and also how to stand out in the consumer's mind. If you're not saying or doing anything differently then you're just doing the same as everyone else, and blending into the background as a result. Truly creative marketing makes you memorable, which leads to brand awareness, which leads to success!

Here's my favourite example so far of truly creative marketing: Bic billboard.

So I stumbled upon these examples of creative thinking: Instant Win scratch games branded with the Shirlock Holmes movie and the Survivor TV series.

Creative for sure.

It sure helps these brands stand out. For those people standing at the counter buying lottery tickets, they have now been exposed to these shows, which may have an influence later as they consider which movie to see or which show to watch.

So, here's a potential issue: is advertising on scratch-and-win tickets too disconnected from the brand to be effective? Would anyone really expect to see a movie advertised on a game card? And if not, does that make the marketing tactic clever, or ineffective?

What do you think?

Oh, and both tickets were losers, in case you were wondering. Guess I need to keep working!

Uh oh. Someone at CIBC's in trouble about this direct mail...

2010-02-12T22:30:00.004-05:00

Today I received a direct mail piece "inviting me to apply for a CIBC Aerogold VISA Infinite card".

Um, I already have one!

So, the obvious problem is that they completely wasted their money sending these mailers to existing cardholders. That's basically step number one when it comes to direct mail aimed at acquiring new customers: make sure you don't send it to existing customers! Direct mail 101 people. Huge oversight.

Here's the less obvious, but equally damaging problem: the impression I now have about CIBC. I've written a number of posts recently about the importance of strengthening your brand with your actions, not weakening it. This is, sadly, a clear example of how quickly you can damage your reputation. Many of the cardholders that received this in the mail will just quickly discard it and forget it, but many still will take note of the oversight and think poorly of the company that sent it.

This mismanagement of the corporate brand has less tangible, but significantly damaging implications. The next time I need to get a credit card, what recollections will I have about my experience with CIBC? Will it persuade me to consider a competitor's card? Don't know for sure, but we do know that significant damage has been done.

How to give yourself a BAD reputation

2010-02-11T12:58:00.005-05:00

I talk a lot about the importance of effective brand management to my clients, because it's arguably the most important element of your corporate marketing.

Your brand is the collection of words, thoughts and impressions that pop into the consumers' mind when they hear your name. Everything you say or do reflects either positively or negatively on your brand. You could have the best advertising in the world but if your brand image is poor, you won't be successful.

Case in point: McDowell Ovens.

They make bread crumbs. At Sobey's at least, they have great shelf space which, for packaged goods companies, is one of the most important marketing strategies.

But look closely at the package: "For all your bread crumb uses."

Wow - what a revelation! Here I thought I should use bread crumbs for non-bread crumb uses! (that's sarcasm, in case you didn't catch it)

Packaging (and specifically, what you put on the package) is also a key marketing strategy for packaged goods companies. They had an opportunity to write anything they wanted on their package, and they chose that ineffectual statement. This packaging decision damages their brand. All the good they did for their brand by obtaining key shelf space is undone by their packaging laziness.

I bought a competitive brand.

THE TAKEAWAY FOR YOU:

The lesson for ALL businesses (packaged goods or otherwise): please, please, please look at ALL you do (from packaging to answering the phones) and consider whether you are enhancing or damaging your brand reputation.

HAVE YOUR SAY:

Any other examples of exceptionally poor or exceptionally effective packaging?

Here We Go - 2010's Best SuperBowl Ads (and worst!)

2010-02-08T21:43:00.006-05:00

Here are my choices for the best SuperBowl Ads in 7 different categories, including "Best All Around Ad" (at the end)... ENJOY! COMMENT!

1) Most Humourous

Winner:
~ Career Builder - "Worst Seat" (the look on her face is priceless!)

Honourable Mention:
~ KGB - "Sumo"
~ Bud Light - "Book Club"

2) Most Effective (at getting the message across):

Winner:
~ Google - "Parisian Love"

Honourable Mention:
~ Coca Cola - "Hard Times"
~ Audi - "Green Car"

3) Worst:

Winner... er.. Loser:
~ Boost Mobile - "Boost Mobile Shuffle"

(Dis)Honourable Mention:
~ Dr. Pepper - "Little Kiss"
~ Miller High Life - "Little Guys"

4) Blatant Teaser to Drive Web Traffic:
~ GoDaddy.com - "News"

5) So Much Promise, But Failed to Meet Expectations:
~ eTrade - "Girlfriend" and "First Class"

6) That the...?!?
~ Taco Bell - "Poem" and "It Rocks"

And the winner is.......

7) BEST ALL AROUND AD

Winner:
~ NFL - "Best Fans"

Runner Up:
~ FloTV - "Moments"

So, what do you think?!?!?

Everything you do either damages or enhances your brand

2010-02-03T14:11:00.004-05:00

I speak about that often - that everything you do (from answering the phones to advertising on TV) will either damage or enhance the brand reputation you have established.

What does this guy's picture say about his brand reputation?

So, what do you think? What words pop to mind when you see this picture?

Your brand is exactly that: the words that pop into the consumers' mind when they make a connection with you.

Make sure you're actively managing those connections. Each and every one.

Avatar as an examination of marketing

2010-01-15T15:25:00.006-05:00

According to BoxOfficeMojo, Avatar has grossed more than $1.4 BILLION, and counting! There is no definitive answer at the time of writing this, but production costs for the movie appear to be close to $300 million, and marketing costs close to $200 million.

So, here's a question (for which there is probably no answer):

How much would the movie gross if they had spent less on marketing? Or more on marketing? How much would the movie gross if they had spent less on production (presumably weakening the quality of the product)?

This is a very common question - one that we grapple with all the time. Will more marketing lead to enough sales to earn our money back? Is the product good enough on its own to be successful without extensive marketing?

And here's another thing business owners and marketers need to keep in mind: It's possible that the movie would have grossed, say, $1.25 billion with no marketing, putting them $50 million ahead of where they are now (saving $200 million on marketing but earning $150 million less). Would that mean the marketing was a waste? It's tempting to say yes, but think of all the awareness for the movie and for James Cameron and for Fox that was generated!

All marketing has benefits beyond its direct impact on sales.

Remember that as you consider investing in marketing.

Your turn: What's your guess about the box office sales with more (or less) spending on the product or on the marketing?

More Twitter abuse, but this is also good... sort of.

2010-01-11T21:13:00.006-05:00

Here's something I noticed on Twitter that can also be classified as "abuse" (although some of you might argue that).

These two people sent EXACTLY the same tweet (not identified as re-tweets) at EXACTLY the same time.

There are two reasons that's bad, and one reason that's good:

BAD: These people have nothing interesting of their own to say about this particular piece of internet content - they're simply regurgitating.
BAD: It appears that they're just re-purposing other content as quickly as they can and as often as they can, so as to create an impression that they're connected and socially active (at least online!). That's why I referred to this as "abuse".
GOOD: The 'Bones' story is apparently interesting enough that people want to share it, which is one of the primary benefits of Twitter. If you have something interesting to say, say it. The more interesting it is, the more people will see it (which applies to more social networking sites, by the way).

So, where do you stand? Abusive regurgitation? Or meaningful viral activity?

Auto industry ads suck, and this auto exec knows it!

2010-01-06T23:47:00.006-05:00

There are a few bright spots in the auto advertising business (see Porsche), but for the most part, auto ads suck (see BMW). I have often written/spoken critically about advertising in this industry and to my delight, someone inside the industry is speaking my language.

I am referring to Scott Keogh (Audi CMO), who recognized the fact that most auto industry ads are bland, programmatic and ineffective. Audi broke out of the mold this year in a risky, but crucial attempt to be different, to be memorable, and to be successful.

In this video (it's 8 minutes, so I'll summarize) he gives 3 examples of some truly creative creative that helped Audi stand out in the sea of blandness:

A powerful campaign (with impactful imagery) that espoused the virtues of clean diesel and defiled traditional fuels and the oil-producing Middle East.
A decision to "buy-out" all the TV spots on the three major US networks during Obama's inauguration... but to also agree to simply sponsor the newscasts and run them commercial-free!
A documentary, produced by NFL Films, about the Audi racing experience at Le Mans which they pitched (successfully) to ESPN... before they knew how they would finish in the race!

These are three risky, even radical, approaches to advertising in an otherwise tedious market. In advertising, taking a risk is hard, but it's the best way to create impact.

Turns out that Audi's market share is up, and their profits are growing (that's right, I said profits)! Coincidence?

Another topic I write/speak about often is the importance of creativity (see Apple), and this is a shining example.

Well done Scott and your Audi Marketing team.

Your turn: What are your thoughts about auto ads?

Creativity counts - just look at this Mac ad

2009-12-23T01:07:00.003-05:00

In my marketing seminars and engagements I preach the importance of creativity. Marketing ideas, and in particular advertising ideas, need to stand out and make you notice. They need memory glue. They need to be different.

There are lots of examples that work, and this Mac ad is a recent example.

Most online ads take up one location on a web page. Most have some kind of animation. Mac took it one step further by buying TWO prime locations on the page, but then also integrating the ads so they work together.

In this ad, PC leaves the right-hand, vertical spot to participate in what's going on in the horizontal spot, while Mac watches (I'd show it to you, but the ad rotates so if I sent you a link, you might not see it).

Genius.

That creative thinking about how to make people notice really works.

Most ads are noise. This ad is memorable.

And that's the whole point: how can you think creatively about how you advertise or market your brand that makes it truly stand out from the noise?

Think Diamond Shreddies

Think Bic razor billboards (click to view).

THINK CREATIVELY

Your turn: what are your favourite ads that truly stood out from the rest - that were truly creative?

Auto industry ads continue to drive me crazy

2009-12-06T21:49:00.004-05:00

The auto industry is notorious for stretching the boundaries of acceptable advertising practices.

From price wars among dealers from the same auto maker (see post) to price promises that aren't really promises (see post) to mice type that no one can possibly read (don't get me started!), this is a new low.

BMW (who otherwise does everything right if you ask me) is running a campaign to promote their 2010 323i. This ad CLEARLY promotes the 323i, and the 323i only. You can tell this by the headlines and copy, and they even go so far as to break down the lease rates for the 323i specifically.

But the image, which is predominant, is of the 335i. If you look closely (click image below to enlarge), there is a line of mice type (don't get me going!) that admits they are showing a picture of the 335i!! How can they be allowed to do that?! The 335i looks better, performs better, costs more, and has clearly different lease rates.

Now, the 323i is from the same family as the 335i, but that doesn't excuse this manipulative advertising practice.

They need to advertise more responsibly.

People that aren't car fanatics like me or that don't pay as much attention to advertising as I do would understandably go to the dealership looking for a car that looks like the 335i for the price of the 323i. Such a car does not exist. "Sorry consumer. But since you're here, why don't I put you into this more expensive car?" Oh, sorry, it's more like "What do I need to do to get you into this more expensive car?"

I know they're legally allowed to do this, but they shouldn't.

They're not the only perpetrators, but I just happen to be picking on them because they are advertising fairly heavily.

My new favourite print ad.

2009-11-23T22:49:00.004-05:00

It's true - a picture says 1,000 words. This ad is from Lazer Bike Helmets.

So succinct. So precise. So effective. So simple. So good.

Your turn: I want your input - what are some memorable SIMPLE ads like this?

More evidence of Twitter abuse

2009-11-23T00:29:00.004-05:00

As a follow up to my last post, in which I call into question the intentions of certain Twitterers, here is another example of abuse.

This is a phony Jennifer Aniston account, called jenifferaniston (notice the incorrect spelling). This is not the real Jennifer Aniston. This person is following exactly 0 other people, and has exactly 0 Tweets. Yet almost 120,000 people are following this fake celebrity that is NOT EVEN TWEETING!

That's 120,000 people that are either clueless, or trying to get other jenifferaniston followers to follow them (as part of a popularity contest I referred to in the original post). Again, neither of those are good reasons to follow this bogus account.

Twitter abuse, in my opinion. And again, not Twitter's fault.

Twitter still being abused

2009-11-21T01:30:00.004-05:00

Twitter has done enough little things to preserve its relevance and importance and make it the tool it has become today, but it's not free of faults. And I should clarify that the faults aren't Twitter's, they are Twitter users' faults.

Twitter has many benefits and applications, but like many social network marketing tools, has become nothing more than a popularity contest for so many. I see far too many examples of users simply trying to maximize the number of followers they have, as though it is some measure of importance. More on that in another post. Today I am referring to the blind followers - those that follow anyone - presumably in hopes of finding new followers (assuming the people they follow will in turn follow them).

To me that's evidence that they are doing nothing more than seeking to maximize followers. That's why I refer to it as a popularity contest.

Here is the most dramatic example I have found so far: A Twitterer called YouIsMe. This account makes no secret of the fact that they are just an experiment in Twitter popularity. Their description spells it out for everyone: "Mysterious Twitter Social Experiment". They have only one tweet that reads "Is this even possible?" Yet they have more than 12,000 followers at the time of this post.

That's 12,000 people that have signed up to learn absolutely nothing.

They've decided to follow because they think it's funny, or (more likely) because they're blindly following as part of their popularity effort. Neither reason is a good one.

There is lots of Twitter abuse out there, and this is an obvious example.

Worst flyer EVER?

2009-10-28T10:05:00.008-04:00

I wish this wasn't real.

It's sad to me (as a Marketing Consultant) that this would even happen. That something so truly fundamental could be overlooked.

As you flip through this flyer, there is NO WAY TO CONTACT THE COMPANY!

No phone number.

No web address.

No street address.

Nothing.

Nothing on the inside pages. Nothing on the back cover. Nothing.

So as a consumer, if I am at all compelled to respond to this flyer (which I received in the mail), I would have to Google the company name (McNain TV and Communication) and try to find them. Do you think ANYONE would do that? NO!

It would appear that they are assuming we already know how to contact them! What a colossal blunder. I live in their retail footprint, and I have never even heard of them (I Googled them out of sheer morbid curiosity - they have 4 locations in south/central Ontario). And I'm in their target market (I buy too many electronics products).

In some ways I'm sad because it's possible that my profession - the collection of marketing advisors across the globe - has failed them somehow. How could they not have known to include this information?!

Imagine building a car with no ignition.

And it gets worse: a graphic designer likely did the layout for them and didn't notice it or say anything, and someone obviously printed it and didn't notice it or say anything either.

It's just sad all around.

I guess I have more work to do! To spread marketing best practices across the country!

At least now I know where to start.

Product Management, PGA Tour style!

2009-09-27T00:40:00.003-04:00

I'm a golf nut, for sure. I like the PGA Tour and as a golf fan, am paying particular attention to the playoffs right now.

As a marketer, however, I am also taking notice.

This is the third year the PGA Tour has had playoffs, and each year has had a different playoff structure. I was happy enough with the first one, but there was some criticism. To their credit, they made changes as a result. They could have, like many organizations would have, defended their decisions and done their best to minimize the negative impact of the criticism. But they didn't. They took the ideas of the players and fans and made adjustments to design a better "product".

Oh, and by the way, their decision to introduce a playoff in the first place was based on player and fan input.

BCS take notice.

My point here is so simple, yet so often overlooked in the interest of pride: Take input from your customers and stakeholders and make modifications to improve your product.

Don't be like college football.

Your turn: Think of example of companies that said: "I don't care what you think, we like the product the way we've designed it."

Your turn v2: Think of examples of companies that are truly listening to the market and making modifications accordingly.

And where do you think the New Coke / Coke Classic example fits?

Blackberry: the good, the bad and the spectacular

2009-08-09T01:05:00.004-04:00

Blackberry's running a new "Blackberry Loves U2" campaign, and I'm not quite sure if I like it or not.

The good:

It's different.

I'm really tired of the "me-too" ad. Too many industries include brands that just copy each other's ads. Watch any car commercial and you'll know exactly what I mean. With the exception of the iPhone, advertising in the mobile market is fairly repetitive. All about features. "My phone has this, my phone has that, my phone flips this way, my phone flips that way". It's no wonder the iPhone does so well - their ads really stand out. Well, now so do Blackberry's. Their TV spot in particular is intriguing to say the least. And it doesn't list one feature.

The bad:

You can't tell what it is. The TV spot shows only U2 in concert, and closes with a "Blackberry Loves U2" teaser line.

OK.

So what!

I'm happy for you that you like U2, but that doesn't do anything for me - the consumer. What are you trying to tell me? What are you trying to sell me? All I can do is go to the dedicated url to learn more. But that's asking the consumer to do quite a bit. The more you ask them to do, the less they will be inclined to do it. I would have at least liked them to tell me what it is they're trying to promote. The ad is memorable, but all I remember is that Blackberry thinks U2 is cool.

The spectacular:

This ad is far from ugly. The production quality is outstanding and if nothing else, you come away from it feeling impressed by Blackberry for such an undertaking. And that's saying a lot. Do something impressive and people will remember you for that reason alone. It's not cheap, but it works. Remember the launch of Windows and the whole Rolling Stones "Start Me Up" thing? I thought you would.

So while there are some holes in the approach, Blackberry is certainly taking a leap. And getting noticed in the meantime. As a marketer, I just think they needed to tell us more while they had our attention.

Agree?

Zellers sets a new standard for terrible

2009-07-21T08:41:00.005-04:00

This is www.zellers.com...

So let's reflect on this for a minute...

Approximately 95% of the space "above the fold" on the home page has nothing on it
Approximately 75% of that space is just BLANK
I can't find any sort of catalogue (just the recent flyer) or list of products they sell
I can't buy anything online
The home page seems to want to promote their specials, but they don't update it often enough (that Sung promo's been there for a WHILE)

Sure, maybe they want to drive shoppers to the physical store, but COME ON. You mean to tell me that you really don't want any business from the MILLIONS of people that shop online?

The reason I saw this in the first place is I am in the market for a new flat screen TV. Zellers has an electronics department. And TVs are a big ticket, big margin item!

No catalogue.

No ability to shop online.

I took my hundreds of dollars somewhere else.

Clarity in advertising

2009-06-13T23:24:00.005-04:00

Doesn't this ad just say it all?

I know it's not that different from the other training ads, but most of them say "get the body you want...". This one comes right out and says it: "get THIS body".

It also appeals to a very specific audience. If you've seen 300, you'll get it right away. If not, well, you won't be tempted to click on the ad (and the advertiser won't pay a dime).

Clarity and simplicity are good. Especially in crowded advertising spaces like FaceBook.

Your turn: Any examples of "clarity" ads?

Golf courses a dying breed

2009-06-11T22:06:00.008-04:00

It has always been my contention that the golf course industry was saturated and that many were doomed to fail. I am starting to see that a bit in my area with some courses on the verge of shutting it down.

Then I saw this... (a Google Map of courses in the area)

...and all my suspicions were confirmed.

Q: How is your industry? Saturated? What are you doing to stand out?

Why You Are Unpopular Online: Six Ways to Doom Your Community-Building Efforts : MarketingProfs Articles

2009-06-05T02:36:00.001-04:00

Why You Are Unpopular Online: Six Ways to Doom Your Community-Building Efforts : MarketingProfs Articles

Shared via AddThis

Take that big box part 2 - bike shop alive and kicking.

2009-06-01T23:17:00.006-04:00

Small, local business success story #2.

Totally Spoke'd here in Stratford.

Bicycle shop - pure and simple. Quality, selection and all that, but above all, a crystal clear position the market. I took my daughter's birthday present in today (bought it from Direct Buy - more on them in a later post) to be tuned up before she started riding it. The guy I talked to summed up their story succinctly and effectively: "95% of the bikes we fix here are from big box and department stores."

That says so much, don't you think?

They are the Un-Canadian Tire. The Un-Sears. With those simple words they solidified their position as the place to go if you want a GOOD bike.

You can say a lot by saying what you're NOT.

So, let's take a snapshot of their success:
- Good retail location... check.
- Good product... check.
- Clearly defined offering... check.
- Clear positioning in the market... check.
- Unique/differentiated... check.
- Appropriate marketing tactics... check (good sponsorships in town).
- Pricing to support positioning... check (they aren't the cheapest).
- Uber-consistency in message...check.

Oh, and by the way, I took the bike in today (Monday). They told me I could pick it up on Wednesday. They called THIS AFTERNOON and said I could come pick it up. Imagine that, they over-deliver as well!

I think what this example shows, as does the other one, is that you have to be so thoughtful, relentless, clear and consistent to really be strong.

How is your company's "checklist"? Can you stand up against these guys?

Take that big box! Toy store alive and kicking.

2009-05-24T22:05:00.004-04:00

Yes, big box stores and national chains have made it exceedingly difficult if not impossible for the small, single location, specialty store to survive.

But some do.

Family and Company in my home town of Stratford, Ontario, for one.

Family and Company is a toy store - pure and simple. They face just as much competition as any other specialty store would. Perhaps more. Imagine competing against the likes of Toys R' Us, Walmart, eBay, Zellers/Bay and more. To be a successful David among Goliaths like these you have to be TRULY UNIQUE. Consider these examples:

They gift wrap, but not with normal gift wrap. It's a bag with loads of ribbon and decorations, additional toys thrown in (which the kids can pick out by the way), unique decorations, and branding, of course.
They hold regular magic shows.
Almost every toy has one opened sample for the kids to play with.
They carry toys that no one else does. Those truly clever toys that just may not have widespread popularity or, more likely, distribution.
They have tons of kids walking around (in uniform) playing with the kids and offering advice on which gifts to buy.
They have a small patio outside where entertainers sometimes perform.

Imagine any of those things happening at Walmart.

In addition to their uniqueness, they have also covered all the marketing fundamentals (relevant to them):

Prime location in heart of downtown.
Every receipt comes with a flyer attached highlighting upcoming events, sales and specials.
Extended hours in peak seasons.
Relentless focus on the kids.

So here's the lesson for the specialty shop:

Address your marketing fundamentals.
Be TRULY, OBVIOUSLY, MEMORABLY UNIQUE.
Be relentless.
Be creative.

They remind me of the "Shop Around the Corner" from the movie You've Got Mail. Of course, that store had to fail against the mighty Fox Books for the storyline to work, but I wonder what would have happened to a store like that in real life. They had some uniqueness (storytime for the kids), but not as many as Family and Co. They had some fundamentals covered (location), but not all of them.

I think that's a lesson for small retailers too: You can't hang your hat on one or two differentiators. You have to really stand out.

But if Family and Company gives us anything, it gives us hope.

Last pre-baby post

2009-04-28T02:08:00.003-04:00

Yes, I am having a baby today (we have a planned c-section scheduled for 1:00). But before I go, here's an interesting article that should trigger some discussion if not debate:

Top 12 Brands Likely to Disappear

They are:

1) Budget
2) Borders
3) Crocs
4) Saturn
5) Esquire
6) Old Navy
7) Architectural Digest
8) Chrysler
9) Eddie Bauer
10) Palm
11) AIG
12) United Air

What do you think? Any of those brands destined to vanish, in your opinion? I know my opinion is certainly mixed.

Enjoy the read. I'll check in with you later.

Marketing question of the day

2009-04-20T19:41:00.003-04:00

If you had to steal a customer from your competition, how would you do it?

The answer will reveal a LOT.

Try it.

And tell me what you came up with!

Email Best Practices

2009-04-02T23:58:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I attended MarketingSherpa's Email Summit in Miami. Conferences like these are always so inspiring. In fact, there are 10 things I want to share with you from the conference. These are ideas and themes that will help you build business through email marketing. Some of these things will be familiar to you, some will be new thoughts. I hope you find something that will help you get more share!

Here they are: the Top 10 Things I Took Away From the Email Summit (full article can be read at shareofmarketing.com):

10) Email Marketing and Social Media Marketing are the ONLY TWO marketing tactics receiving bigger budgets by more companies than not.
9) If your email fails, try it again (but differently, of course)!
8) Email Marketing is a science as much as it's an art. Test your new emails using control groups.
7) Think about what your customers are reading (e.g. do you really want them to 'submit' to you?).
6) Put email technology tools to work. And keep tweaking to improve response.
5) A simple test to evaluate your email content: "Where am I?"; "What am I supposed to do?"; "Why should I?"
4) Analytics are a given.
3) Landing pages are a given.
2) Testing is a given.
1) People are NOT sick of emails. They're sick of receiving emails that aren't relevant to them. So keep sending them, but make them important, relevant, valuable and compelling!

Again, you can click here to read the full article, which includes commentary for each of the thoughts above. Enjoy!

Rip-off of the century!

2009-03-24T23:09:00.006-04:00

This example of price gouging was so offensive, I thought it must have been a mistake!

Shame on you, Suncoast Energy.

Suncoast Energy operates a gas station close to the Orlando airport. I stopped in there yesterday to fill up the rental car before returning it, only to notice that the price was $3.99 per gallon!

No, that's not a typo, that was $3.99 per gallon! (Canadians: imagine gas at $1.90 per litre)

I thought for sure that they must have set the price wrong on the pump. I even went in to the store to confront the cashier (not that I was expecting her to do anything about it). She said the price was right. I reminded her that gas is, on average, about $1.99 per gallon right now. She said... are you ready for it... "We charge that much because we're the closest gas station to the airport".

WHAT!!!!????

I was immediately offended. How could they assume I would be so stupid as to pay more than double for a commodity product (87 Octane gas is basically the same no matter where you buy it)?

They are obviously deliberately price gouging. They assume people filling up on their way to the airport won't notice the price until they finish filling up and realize they paid double what they usually pay. By then it's too late - they have to pay. They are also assuming people aren't willing or able to go anywhere else (there was another gas station ONE BLOCK away - $1.92 per gallon). Get this: they don't even have a sign by the side of the road (like EVERY other gas station in the world does) because they're worried people might notice before they pull in to the station. Wait - there's more! You have to pre-pay!

I understand the concept of premium pricing as much as anyone... but not for a commodity product! If you have a clearly superior product (think Ferrari, Rolex), then premium pricing is expected. For commodity products (think paper, fast food), there can be minor fluctuations in pricing (usually related to location or packaging), but not double! The gas station near our cottage is the only station for at least 25 kms, so we're forced to pay about 10% more. We don't like it, we complain about it, and we try to fill up elsewhere because we know gas is gas is gas. I can't even imagine paying 108% more. The gas station would go out of business. I certainly hope that fate comes to Suncoast Energy.

They're clearly trying to capitalize on consumers' need for convenience, but to an offensive level. They're manipulative. And in this economy, their audacity sickens me.

Have your say: I dare you to think of a worse example.

Ford in a price war against itself!

2009-03-16T20:59:00.003-04:00

OK, this is a new low for advertising.

I see way too many examples of internal inefficiencies getting in the way of effective marketing, but this one takes the cake.

We all know that car dealerships, even within the same manufacturer, work independently. We understand that this inefficiency exists, but that doesn't make it excusable.

Today on the radio I heard a spot for the World Ford dealership in Miami. This is what they said:

"Bring us a lower quote from any other Ford and we'll beat it!"

From any other Ford?!?! They're in a price war... against themselves! Now, I know WHY they're doing this (because each dealer is independent and trying to hit their numbers), but it's an internal, structural inefficiency that has created a monster.

Imagine for a moment...

"Bring us a lower quote for a BigMac and we'll sell you this BigMac for less."

It just doesn't make any sense. As a consumer, I shouldn't be subjected to your internal problems. A Ford is a Ford. If I go to one Ford store, a Taurus should be the same price as it is at another Ford store.

Don't let your internal inadequacies spill into the consumer's experience.

A great way to think about your landing pages

2009-03-16T19:48:00.004-04:00

At the MarketingSherpa EMail Summit today, I sat in a great session on creating great landing pages for email and other marketing campaigns (led by Dr. Flint McGlaughlin of MarketingExperiments). Tons of great stuff but for me the highlight was a quick checklist for judging the effectivenes of your landing page. Imagine that your browsers are asking these three questions:

1) Where am I?
2) What can I do here?
3) Why should I?

Genius in its simplicity.

Don't sell me a product, sell me a benefit!

2009-03-08T22:42:00.004-04:00

You would think that goes without saying, but I see so many case of companies that use marketing programs to sell a product, without telling me why I should buy said product!

(SURPRISE QUIZ: Does your web site home page talk about how long the company has been in business, where it's located, and what it does? I don't care! Tell me why you matter to me!)

Case in point: I was at Shell getting gas and a car wash yesterday. I went in to pay and the cashier asked if I wanted to upgrade the basic wash to a deluxe wash. Somewhat impressed by the attempt at an up-sell, I played along...

Cashier: "Would you like the tri-colour deluxe wash for an extra $2?"

Me: "No thank you."

Cashier: "It's a small price to pay for a better wash." (getting there...)

Me: "Why is it better?"

Cashier: "It's a 'tri-colour' wash."

Me: "What does the 'tri-colour' do?"

Cashier: "I'm not sure. But it's three colours."

SO CLOSE!!

I passed on the upgrade.

With the signage on the counter and the (failed) attempt by the cashier, it was obviously a deliberate marketing campaign that the store and/or company was running. But the most important factor was missing - the reason for buying!

Sell the benefits! Sell the benefits! Sell the benefits!

The travel industry is anti-competitive!

2009-03-05T02:29:00.005-05:00

We all know what they're doing, but somehow we decide to just put up with it!

I'm talking about the seemingly random, certainly unjustifiable fees that car rental agencies, airlines, and hotels add to the price of their products.

Case in point: I rented a car for our upcoming March Break trip to Florida. The "quote" was $300, but by the time I got to the online checkout, the total was $425. A SMALL part of that extra $125 was tax. The rest was a ridiculous collection of fees that allow them to get the price they really want.

"Airport concession fee": $30 - WHAT?!
"Energy recovery fee": $7 - WHAT?!
"Fees": $47 - ARE YOU KIDDING?!

The last one bothers me the most. There's no explanation!!! Just "Fees". As best as I can tell, that's their way of getting the price they really wanted, instead of the price they advertise.

It's just wrong.

Imagine going to a clothing store, picking out a pair of $50 jeans, then taking them to the cashier who proceeds to tell you the cost is $70 plus tax. "Where did the other $20 come from?" you would most certainly ask. Then imagine that the cashier has no explanation! You'd leave them on the counter and go to another store!

My initial thought was that this was the company's way of staying competitive in a commodity industry (a car is a car, essentially, when you're renting). They needed to offer an initial price of $300 to make me consider that rental as an option. At first I thought the move was uber-competitive. In fact, it's ANTI-COMPETITIVE since they're all doing it! I can't leave the rental 'on the counter' and go somewhere else because they're all doing it.

That's collusion.

That's anti-competitive.

That's wrong.

Any lobbyists out there with the time to take this all the way?!

C'mon DQ, don't be THAT cheap!

2009-02-19T15:16:00.004-05:00

Here's a picture of an ice cream sandwich I bought from DQ recently. Perhaps this is just an anomaly, or perhaps they decided to cut corners a bit by decreasing the amount of ice cream in the sandwich. Either way, it illustrates the potential damage of cutting corners in your product manufacturing.

In this case, I am expecting an abundance of ice cream. Why else would I pay so much for a sandwich full of calories?! This allotment of ice cream is inadequate. If your product does not match your customer's expectation of it, you fail! The damage to your brand far exceeds any cost savings you've squeezed out.

In DQ's case, they may have been able to add $0.02 to the bottom line by cutting ice cream costs, but they lost a customer and all the profits I might have contributed to the bottom line, which would have far exceeded $0.02. Who knows, as a result of this blog post, they may have even lost more customers!

Don't cut corners. It damages your brand irreparably and costs you more in the end.

Have your say: Other examples of products or companies cutting corners?

Alas, most of the SuperBowl ads were funny

2009-02-15T14:06:00.003-05:00

In a previous post I gave credit to the Coca-Cola Avatar spot as the SuperBowl's best because of its quality and its impact on the cola's brand.

Most of the SuperBowl ads, though, were designed to be funny. And funny can work too (see my other blog post on that). Here's my vote for the funniest:

eTrade baby!

This campaign is almost as good as the PC/Mac ads, proving that repetition and consistency can be just as important as content. If you have the best (traditional media) ad but only run it once, you're wasting your time (unless it's an online viral campaign - another discussion for another day). If you have an OK ad but run it regularly, you're off to the races. Even if it's a bad ad, enough frequency will make it effective (see Energizer bunny).

So, funny works, but only if you run it enough that people see it... and remember it.

Have your say: what are the best campaigns in terms of creating a character and running with it (e.g. eTrade baby, Mac/PC)?

If it weren't for their spinach dip, I'd never go to Kelsey's again

2009-02-13T13:01:00.004-05:00

I ripped Kelsey's in an earlier post for their lack of creativity (by using the Cheer's theme song) and it would seem their marketing laziness continues.

I heard a radio spot today which described some of life's great (pleasant) surprises, including rekindling an old romance, or... wait for it... discovering that Kelsey's has all-you-can-eat wings for $15.99.

And they were serious!

Are you kidding me?

They're trying to tell me that I should be just as excited about $15.99 wings as I should be about rekindling an old romance! Never in a thousand years Kelsey's!

If they were being sarcastic, I might have bought it. Instead, they just come off as ridiculous. Is that really the best they can come up with? I'll never equate those things, and worse yet, $15.99 isn't even that much of a deal! Give me an all-you-can-eat wings offer of $5.99 and maybe I'll be somewhat surprised, but still not as much as they claim I should be at $15.99.

When your ads are this ridiculous, you accomplish nothing but damage to your brand (see Bad Boy Furniture).

Have your say: What are the cheesiest ads of all time?

SuperBowl ad winner...

2009-02-02T12:24:00.004-05:00

What's a marketing blog without a post about the SuperBowl ads!?

My winner is Coca-Cola's "Avatar" spot.

I like the creativity and the production quality, but the real reason I like it is the effect it had on the Coca-Cola brand. Most of the ads were just funny, which is OK, but all they did was build awareness by trying to be the funniest (he with the funniest ad wins the awareness battle). But Coke built awareness (not only with creativity, but also by buying 60 seconds!) AND BRAND image.

They sent out a clear message that says: "the most meaningful peer-to-peer connections happen face-to-face." (I got that from their YouTube page - sums it up perfectly). A powerful message that strengthens their brand positioning as a beverage that is connected with all that is joyous and peaceful in this world (we all remember the "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" ad, right?).

Well done Coke.

Comments? Your favourites from 2009?

The Power of Partnerships

2009-01-22T21:33:00.006-05:00

Too many companies try to do it all themselves. They advertise on their own, they create their own collateral, they empower their own sales force. All fine and good, but a mere fraction of what they could be doing.

Partnerships allow companies to extend their reach exponentially and to customers or markets that they may not have been able to otherwise reach on their own. And this is true for both B2B and B2C.

Case in point: I was vacationing in Key West this past week and wanted to rent a scooter. I asked the concierge to recommend a couple of rental companies and to our delight, she went one better: she arranged for us to be picked up and taken to the scooter rental company where our scooters would be waiting.

Perfect.

Now, there are dozens of scooter rental options in Key West, but because this rental company established a partnership with the hotel, they became the preferred provider. Had I searched on my own for rental companies, I would likely have ended up somewhere else. Instead, Pirate Scooter gets ALL the customers that think to ask the hotel concierge for help.

The thought process is simple: who is my target customer (in this case, vacationers), what other companies are courting the same customers (in this case, hotels), and how can we work together to promote each other (in this case, the hotel sends guests to Pirate, and Pirate agrees to provide door-to-door service, which keeps the hotel guests happy)?

Often times the partnership opportunities are obvious, simple to set up, and lucrative. For many small companies, it can be the ticket to survival or even prosperity.

What partnerships can you establish?

See? Market analysis pays off! Atta boy Hyundai!

2009-01-16T02:04:00.004-05:00

An "atta boy" goes out to Hyundai today.

They have launched an "Assurance" program, which basically says that if you buy a Hyundai and then lose your job (within a year), you can give it back.

Imagine that!

So here's a company that truly took market analysis to heart. I can see it now - marketing people, agency people and executives sitting around a table begrudgingly reviewing the latest market trend analysis, and coming to the harsh realization that sales are down because people are worried about losing their jobs and being stuck with the car payment. But, instead of blaming company performance on market factors that seem beyond their control, they decided to negate the impact of that factor altogether!

Don't know if it will work, but a brilliant idea, I must say.

Another price promise unkept!

2008-12-11T10:33:00.003-05:00

I wrote in a previous post (two below) about Pizza Hut's failure to deliver on their $6 pizza promise. Now we have another culprit committing the same brand offence - GM Goodwrench.

Their latest radio campaign attempts to establish (just as adamantly as Pizza Hut does) that they sell tires for $89.95. They go so far as to survey other retailers for their price ($106 average). But then the spot says "dealers will set individual prices"!!! No they won't. Not according to your ad they won't. The price will be $89.95. There's a mismatch between the advertised price and the actual price - a failure to deliver on the brand promise.

Shame on you GM Goodwrench! You should read my blog more often!

Chew on this thought for a bit...

2008-11-25T23:29:00.002-05:00

Do you have your fax number on your business card? If yes... why?

Do you have your blog address on your business card? If no... why not?

If you can't deliver on a promise, don't make it!

2008-11-23T13:32:00.004-05:00

Pizza Hut has a new campaign - $6 pizzas every day. They even have a TV spot where someone drags in a "pizza special matrix", implying that you can only get a deal on pizza from certain restaurants on certain days. The other actor then dramatically destroys the matrix, pronouncing that Pizza Hut pizzas are $6, every day. 365 days a year.

Then they say at the end of the spot: "Prices may vary."

WHAT!?!?

You just said prices don't vary! You were quite adamant too.

This bothers me because I'm sure (since I spent some time in a franchise organization) there's some clause or some rule that gives individual Pizza Hut owners the freedom to set their own prices, necessitating the disclaimer. But if you make a claim with such conviction then can't back it up, you damage your brand reputation (remember when Ford said they could make a quality product?). Either refrain from the claim, or force individual business units to adhere to the market positioning.

Brand management is so delicate. Everything you say or do either enhances or weakens your brand reputation. Pizza Hut has done some damage to their brand here.

Have your say: Is a disclaimer statement like that influential enough to sway someone's opinion about a brand promise?

Make money, not excuses

2008-11-16T07:50:00.003-05:00

Dollarama is going to be the unfortunate brunt of my wrath with this post.

Not that I buy much from Dollarama (OK, I do! Busted.), but I was in there yesterday because I needed change: coins for my kids' allowances. Now ordinarily I don't like to ask for change from a retailer without buying something. I just think that's a common courtesy. So I bought a pop for $1 and asked for the $9 change to come in loonies and toonies.

Here's what they told me: "We're low on change - it's the weekend you know."

Are you kidding me?

They (I say 'they' because both the cashier and some sort of supervisor were involved in this exchange) said it in a tone as though I was supposed to know that on the weekend, change would obviously be in short supply and that I shouldn't expect any. Well, here are the problems with that:

1) If you know you're going to go through more coins on the weekend, PREPARE FOR THAT! Get more rolls of coins! It's not hard. You're not out of pocket any more than you would already be. It's just a difference in denomination!

2) Don't, don't, don't talk to your customers in a snippy voice!

I didn't buy the pop. I went somewhere else.

So now, instead of buying a pop and going on with my day, I decided not to buy the pop and proceeded to trash the company in a blog. And I probably won't go there again. Imagine if that was your company.

The point is: think like a customer and prepare as much as you can to meet their needs. It's not hard, and it matters.

From the "why bother?" category

2008-11-01T01:32:00.007-04:00

Here is a photo I had to take when I came to a stop behind a truck recently.

You have to be completely stopped, and the car immediately behind the truck to be able to read it. So this marketing tactic will work on exactly ONE person.

Why bother?

What's worse, even if you happen to be the lucky one that has the chance to read it, you can't even tell whose truck it is!

Again, why bother?

If you have the opportunity (i.e. if you have a truck), post your brand name and your tag line. And by the way, your tag line should be somewhat descriptive or at least intriguing.

All it takes is some common sense and some attention to detail. It just upsets me a bit to see companies wasting marketing opportunities like this. Don't waste. Pay attention to how you position yourself in everything that you do.

Make a good product, and put your name on it

2008-10-23T10:39:00.003-04:00

Many of the companies that I work with claim, quite justifiably, to make the highest quality product on the market. They demonstrate this with references to quality assurance, craftsmanship, and so on. OK. Make sure you put your name on it!

I have a weekend travel bag that I have been using for easily 20 years. Not a rip in it. No wear and tear! Unbelievable. Many of the people I know have asked me where I got it or who made it. I couldn't tell you. There's no name on it!

Conversely, I have been riding the same mountain bike for easily 18 years or more. Many people have noticed (maybe they're telling me something...), and unlike the weekend bag, I CAN tell them who made it (TREK), because the name is right there in big red letters! Now, everyone that has noticed that I am riding a bike that has lasted forever has an impression that TREK bikes last forever!

Probably exactly what TREK wants them to think.

You may be saying that the product you make isn't suited for a brand name, but are you really sure about that? The best furniture in my home has the name printed on the inside of the drawers. You wouldn't put the brand name on the outside of furniture, but what's wrong with inside?

So if you make a product that you want people to believe will last forever, make sure it will, then put your name on it.

My shortest blog entry

2008-09-07T02:22:00.002-04:00

Is it just me, or do the networks time their commercials so that every show goes to commercial at the SAME TIME?!

Are you feelin' me?

Spotted: the elusive online impulse buy!

2008-08-21T01:40:00.006-04:00

A shout out to TGW (The Golf Warehouse) for doing what you're supposed to do in a checkout lane: promote some offers to inspire that impulse buy! You see it everywhere in offline commerce: supermarkets offering tabloids and chocolate bars as you wait in the checkout lane; golf retailers offering golf coupon books and discount boxes of balls at the cashier; book stores offering CDs and gift cards; and so on.

Sadly, though, this simple, effective marketing tactic has not, for the large part, crossed the line into online checkouts. With the rare exception, when you buy something online, you go through the simple process of checking the order, confirming the address, entering payment information, and confirming the sale. Where is the cross-sell / up-sell?

Some sites are OK at it. Online books stores, for example, have at least figured out the "people that bought this also bought..." tactic, which is very effective. But take a look at your online checkout process, and see if it comes anywhere close to TGW's

Some may argue that this is a bit invasive. But in this case, invasive works. You might be irritated somewhat, but how hard is it to simply scroll down if you're not interested? And it's a lot easier than sitting through commercials, for example.

Better still, a portion of online shoppers might actually buy more product! I'm guilty - I bought a golf glove and subscribed to their free magazine offer during the checkout process for the golf balls I bought. See, it works!

MOST companies offer no impulse buy options in their online checkout. SOME companies have at least taken a stab at it. But the RARE FEW market leaders, like TGW, have really figured it out.

Where do you stand?

Not so eco-friendly after all

2008-08-11T23:37:00.003-04:00

Eco-friendly production serves companies well for a couple of reasons: it's truly responsible, and it's marketable. There is a distinct, influential and growing segment of consumers who are influenced by a company's environmental responsibility.

My wife bought a journal yesterday called "ecojot" (ecojot.com). It's a writing journal made in Canada of 100% recycled materials (100% post-consumer waste, vegetable based inks and glues, recycled labels). A great concept... but the journal came wrapped in plastic!

If you are that brand-committed - that dedicated to establishing a position in the market (in this case, an eco-friendly position), then you have to go all the way! You can't be half pregnant. You can't claim to be eco-friendly then wrap your product in plastic. You lose all the credibility you tried so hard to establish. Al Gore lost a lot of credibility when they measured the carbon footprint of his mansion. Stephen Page lost credibility when he was arrested. Inconsistencies like these create a negative impression in the consumer's mind that is hard, if not impossible to reverse.

This is the whole point when talking about branding. EVERYTHING you do needs to strengthen your brand. Inconsistencies between your brand positioning (your "reputation") and your actions can do nothing but deflate opinions about your company and therefore, sales.

If you put a stake in the ground, stand by it.

C'mon ESPN, you know better that that!

2008-07-10T10:25:00.004-04:00

I'm a big fan of Rick Reilly, former Sports Illustrated and current ESPN columnist. I couldn't wait for his new book, Hate Mail from Cheerleaders, to hit book stores in Canada.

I was reading a post of his on ESPN.com, and noticed, right next to his column, an ad for Kenny Mane's book: An Incomplete and Inaccurate History of Sport.

Now maybe ESPN.com is to blame for not thinking of it, and maybe Sports Illustrated is to blame (publisher of Reilly's book) for not asking for it, but wouldn't you want to have an ad for the book written by the columnist next to the columnist's column?

If I'm reading Rick Reilly online, I'm a really captive audience for Rick Reilly's book. Not Kenny Mane's.

It's possible that ESPN.com wouldn't sell ad space to SI because SI has its online affiliation with CNN (sportsillustrated.cnn.com). But it would be in ESPN.com's best interest because click-throughs would go up, and better stats leads to better online ad sales, and more revenue. Plus, if you can demonstrate that kind of intuition when creating your online ad campaigns, you can pitch that attention to detail and advertiser focus to possible advertisers.

The point is, never stop thinking about possible cross-sell opportunities like this. Stay active in your marketing.

Would someone please sell me something!?

2008-07-10T10:01:00.004-04:00

Fireworks! Canada Day weekend! You can feel the excitement in the air - people are buzzing, crowds are building... and we all sit there waiting.

There must have been a couple thousand people at the fireworks display in Tobermory this past July 1. The posters on the streetlight posts tell you to arrive at 9:30pm. We all show up at 9:00pm because we want the best seats. And the show doesn't start until 10:15pm. So what happens in the 75 minutes between when we all arrived and when the show begins? NOTHING!

Of all the retailers in town (the fireworks were held in the harbour - the centre of town), not one was open (except the bars), and not one tried to sell me anything.

How hard would it be for the local BeaverTails (to die for!) franchise to send someone around with one of those trays that you can carry around your neck (like the popcorn guy at hockey games) selling ready-made BeaverTails for $5 each? They would have sold 1,000!

How hard would it be for the Fish and Chip Place (yep, that's the name of it, and I think it's a good one for that matter) to stay open an extra 2 hours? They have an outdoor deck that is a prime viewing location for the fireworks. So instead of staying open until 11:00 and selling us all a whole pile of fish and chips and drinks, they scurried everyone OFF the deck so they could close by 9:00. I would have advertised "Watch the fireworks here!" all week long. Would have taken reservations, and filled the place until 11:00 (or even later). Would have been the best night of the summer!

Please, I'm begging you, sell me something! When you're in business, you have to keep thinking: 'how can I sell more today?'

Working IN your business means closing up on time. Working ON your business means staying open two extra hours so you can have your best night of the year.

There's a fee to read this blog

2008-06-26T09:41:00.004-04:00

I visited a web site the other day that listed vacation properties - places to rent if you want to get away for a week. I discovered (in time, thankfully) that to book through them, you were required to pay a $75 "transaction fee".

Now, many of you are surely wondering what the big deal is. But think about it - a fee to process the transaction?! Every business in the world processes a transaction at some point. This is purely a way to appear less expensive, when really they aren't. In this case (as an example), booking a rental through them costs $925... plus a transaction fee (in mice type of course). They are hoping that you will compare that price to another agency renting the same place for $1000 (with no extra fees) and assume the $925 price is that much better.

They are assuming that we are stupid, and that bothers me.

It is clear to me that "transaction fees", "processing fees" and "administrative fees" are sneaky pricing illusions designed to disguise the real price and fool the consumer. And often times, it's too late - you go through the (usually online) transaction process only to discover that the "transaction fee" makes the price higher than one of the other options you may have considered.

The airline and automotive industries are notorious. Two Hondas ago, I actually challenged the dealer about that. I asked "what is the $250 administrative fee for?" Without a word of a lie, he couldn't tell me. Neither could anyone else in the dealership (I made him ask). Now, I'm a big fan of Hondas, so I bought the car anyway. And Honda is not the only perpetrator in the industry. The point is, that was Honda's way of adding $250 to their bottom line without making the car $250 more expensive... in the consumer's mind. It's backhanded, deceitful and arguably unethical.

Don't do it.

Make the price the price. When the consumer gets to the part where they have to pay, all that should be added is any applicable tax. Otherwise, you're just being deceitful.

Great golf, lousy marketing

2008-06-17T21:17:00.006-04:00

Today I noticed, as I was traveling along the 401, a huge flag at Puslinch Lake Golf Course that read "GREAT GOLF"... and that's it. Now, I knew it was Puslinch Lake because I happened to play there two days ago. But they have raised that flag to advertise their course to all passers by. Great idea because it's a huge audience (more than 500,000 cars per day) and because a good potion of them will be potential golfers.

But what if someone was actually interested in golfing there based on the flag? Only a small handful of the potential audience would know which course that was! No phone number on the flag. No web address. Not even the name of the course! They're saying 'come golf here, but you have to guess where here is'.

What a waste.

We work so hard in marketing to convince people to try our products. You CAN'T make it hard for them to figure out how to get it! In fact, you have the burden of making it EASY.

Have your say: In an earlier post, I gave an example of how easy VISA made it for online shoppers to apply for a card. What are some other examples of companies making it easy to try a product?

Competition at its best

2008-06-10T21:37:00.007-04:00

Hockey fan or not, you have to love this story.

This week, CBC failed in its negotiations to maintain rights to the theme song for its #1 TV program - Hockey Night in Canada. The theme song has been an integral part of Canadiana for more than 40 years. Most Canadians could belt out the tune on command, and it has even become an overly popular ring tone for hockey fans across the country.

Now, tempting as it is, I won't use this space to talk about CBC's failure to retain something so critical for their brand. Instead, I am more intrigued - or should I say impressed - by CTV's response. They bought the rights right out from under them! They will use the song for their hockey broadcasts on TSN (which they own). As deft a competitive move as I have seen in recent memory.

Now, readers of my blog will cry hypocricy and remind me that in a previous post, I condemned Kelsey's for using the Cheer's theme song for their new campaign. But wait - this is different. CTV has recognized the importance of the song to viewers, and is wooing them with it. They didn't try to recapture old, expired magic by reviving a popular theme from somewhere else (as Kelsey's did), they just stepped up to the plate when their competitor couldn't. Kelsey's decision to use the Cheer's theme reeked of laziness. This move by CTV is competitive spirit at its best.

Imagine for a moment that, say, The Keg offered a menu item so vital to the Canadian fabric that Canadians ate there just for that reason, and ate there almost every time they ate out because it was that important to them (this dish would likely resemble a donut sandwich with coffee sauce and a side of Molson Canadian). Now let's imagine that someone had sold the recipe to them, and the usage rights had expired. If Kelsey's swooped in and grabbed the recipe when The Keg decided it wasn't worth keeping (ignoring the needs of their customer base), that would be impressive. Just like CTV's move.

Similarly, imagine that CBC dropped the logo for the show - not really that important to viewers. If CTV had picked that up, that would just seem like laziness.

See the difference?

The theme song WAS the show. It was Canada. Forget that it's a theme song, or a logo, or a menu item. Whatever IT is, if it's that iconic, protect it. And if it's available, steal it! Other examples would include Nike's Jordan silhouette, the golden arches (sadly), and the iPod.

Nice move CTV.

Put up a sign, would ya!

2008-06-04T11:00:00.006-04:00

Kudos today go to Rexall Pharmacies.

The other day I noticed that they are currently constructing a large new retail location in London, Ontario, on a fairly busy street that many commuters take to get downtown every day. One of the first things they did was construct their permanent pole sign.

If you're constructing a retail location, your sign should be the first order of business. We are all inherently curious and even nosy. All too often I notice a new building going up and wonder to myself "I wonder what that's going to be?" Construction takes several months, and if you don't have a sign up, that's several months of missed marketing opportunity.

Put the sign up. Get people talking about your business ("Did you notice there's a new ___ going up on ___ street?"). People love talking about that stuff, especially locals (who are usually the most important people for retail locations). It lets people know that your business is successful and expanding. You could even use the sign to build up anticipation for a coming event, such as a grand opening (also very important for retail locations).

This is an easy one folks - don't miss the opportunity to market your business.

Targeting the Web Savvy

2008-05-23T16:52:00.004-04:00

Here's another contribution from the "recommended by friends" category. A friend of mine passed on this example of highly targeted marketing (thanks LK!).

In this case, the marketers for The Love Guru starring Mike Myers are quite clearly stirring up interest among the internet savvy. They even go so far as to call them... I mean us... by that very term.

This is an effective collection of YouTube spots to get us interested and to get us forwarding them to our fellow internet buddies.

How does it affect you and your company?

Can you use YouTube to promote your product or service in some form? Think about it - you'll come up with a way. Then think about how to really create an experience for the viewer/browser (like The Love Guru marketers did).
If you are using YouTube, are you just using it to show some video that's relevant and hopefully interesting? Or are you creating a production so compelling that people will sign up to receive the next YouTube "release" (again, as The Love Guru marketers did)? Furthermore, are your viewers compelled to forward it to their friends, achieving that viral effect that is so hard to achieve yet so effective?
Is it funny? Remember, funny works!

Enjoy!

This is just too darn clever

2008-05-14T00:21:00.006-04:00

This is the first in what will certainly be many thoughts and ideas that come from friends. It's "Friends' Input Week" at Share Of Blog!

Kudos to you Bic. Thanks for passing it on TK!

The cost of freebies, but also of returns and complaints

2008-05-12T06:00:00.006-04:00

Cyberspace is a buzz with the recent Tim Horton's HR and PR fiasco.

Just last week a Tim Horton's employee was fired because she gave a toddler a free Timbit (she was quickly reinstated and offered an official apology). The retail price of a Timbit is $0.15, so you can imagine how little it cost Tim Horton's to produce this morsel and subsequently how little it "cost" them (in lost revenue) to give it away. Well, many a pundit is writing about the importance of free samples or free product as a way to build customer loyalty (latest example: Globe and Mail, which was in the Life section, which I found odd). I don't disagree, and in fact, wanted to take this opportunity to talk about how the concept extends to product returns and customer complaints.

Too many companies have ridiculously strict return policies. Now, to give them the benefit of the doubt, a return policy is put in place to minimize abuse. Stores don't want too many people purchasing an item, using it to some extent, then bringing it back for a refund. Valid. But what of the negative impression that leaves? They're basically telling us that the don't trust us. Gee, thanks! They're also of the belief that the cost of returns in this case would damage profitability. Well, as illustrated in the Tim's case, the cost of poor publicity and/or a poor customer experience FAR OUTWEIGHS the cost of the returned item.

Case in point: Recently I returned a DVD I received for Christmas to HMV. Now, it was clearly written on the gift receipt that returns had to be made within 21 days. Doesn't that sound a little strict? Now I know they're trying to reduce abuse (and in this case piracy), but I had the gift receipt and the DVD was still in the original shrink-wrap, so I thought I'd give it a shot. When I got to the counter... no problem. The cashier mentioned the policy, to which I didn't really object, but quickly allowed me to choose something else for $19.99. I was so pleased that I spent $26 MORE than $19.99, then proceeded to tell 3 other people about this positive experience. There may very well be people that would abuse a more lenient policy, but do you see how this simple gesture leads to positive word-of-mouth and to INCREASED revenue (as opposed to lost revenue which they fear)?

The same applies to customer complaints. Too many companies are excessively steadfast when dealing with complaints. Just agree that they're right, even if you think they're wrong! It's not worth it!

Case in point: Just last night I was at our neighbourhood hamburger/ice cream stand ordering a completely unhealthy meal of deep fried delights when I overheard the conversation ahead of me. The customer thought she ordered onion rings. The employee was certain she did not. In fact, the employee even went so far as to say "it's not written down on this sheet" as if to suggest that it's impossible for it to have been ordered if it's not on the sheet. How do you think that customer feels? Will she be coming back any time soon? And what is she saying to her friends? How hard is it to offer an apology, make the onion rings, and say "Sorry for the delay, thanks for shopping here - see you again"?

See the difference?

Now, think about how this applies to your business. How are your policies set up to encourage (or discourage) positive customer experiences and return visits?

Have your say: I KNOW you have examples you can share.

A tip for TV advertisers

2008-05-06T23:19:00.004-04:00

Does your company advertise on TV? And would the hockey-watching audience be considered a reasonable audience for you to target?

If so, the NHL playoffs are a must-buy for you.

Once a game goes in to overtime, the broadcasters run out of things to say, so they run more ads!

I was one of the few that stayed awake for all 4 extra periods of Sunday's Dallas-San Jose tilt (although don't tell anyone... that's a bit embarrassing), and I kept seeing the same ads over and over.

So there's some free advice for TV advertisers - NHL playoffs!

The Power of Packaging

2008-04-29T21:43:00.005-04:00

For my birthday recently I received a golf practice kit, which included a net and a piece of artificial turf complete with a rubber tee. Well, the mat made of artificial turf came rolled up in a box which meant that when I took it out to start using it, it wouldn’t lie completely flat. It was harder to get the ball to stay on the tee, and I wasn’t getting the best practice because the ball was a couple of inches higher than it would have been on the course.

And believe me, I need the practice!

This mat is no more than 12” by 18”. How hard would it be to create a thin box in which this mat could lie flat? A box like that would also give them all kinds of space for messaging and logo placement. It may have even given them more prominence on the shelf. Or perhaps they could use a clear plastic package, which would help promote the product even more. Neither of these options would be considerably more expensive, so why not make the effort?

Instead, I’m a dissatisfied customer.

Think about how your product packaging affects the customer's impression of the product, both before and after it is purchased.

Have your say: what are some good examples of product packaging?

Let's Play Word Association

2008-04-24T08:22:00.004-04:00

The creative use of word association can increase your recall and awareness.

If you can be clever enough to associate your brand with memorable words or phrases, it can help customers and prospects remember you (and isn't that the key?).

Case in point:

This is PGATour.com's online leaderboard for last week's PGA tournament. This site projects, based on real-time scoring, who is projected to make the cut. John Deere products "cut" lawns. So they inserted an ad right on the "cut line". See the copy in the ad? "It's all about making the cut." Ahh, clever!

Cheesy? Maybe. More effective than a simple banner ad? Definitely.

The key here is to be clever. But the other key is to be an active marketer. It's not enough to simply manage your existing campaigns. You need to be thinking of new and creative ways to get your brand in the minds of the consumer. I would venture to guess that someone ad John Deere (or their ad agency) was checking the golf scores one day and thought to him/herself: "Hey..."

Have your say: Other examples of clever word associations?

Online ad fails - not enough bandwidth!?!

2008-04-14T16:42:00.006-04:00

I may write a book about the relationship between Marketing and IT. It is so critical, yet so often adversarial or even non-existent.

Marketing is the engine that drives business. Since the role of marketing is to identify possible sources of revenue then create programs to generate demand from those sources, what could be more important for a business? The other business functions need to be aligned with the organization's business and marketing strategy. What good is lead generation if the sales department isn't staffed to follow up on leads. What good is online advertising if a click-through results in an error message!! If you can believe it, that happens!!

I responded to an online ad recently. It was really effective because a) it was targeted appropriately, and b) it was enticing enough for me to respond. Marketing utopia! But when I clicked on the ad...

Can you believe it?

The online ad was so effective, the response caused bandwidth issues for the company! So everyone that clicked-through was UNABLE to acquire the company's product! Presumably, we all just clicked the BACK button and went about our day. All of us potential customers. All of us lost.

We (marketers) work so hard to find the web sites with audience demographics that fit our product / ideal customer. And we work so hard to create ads that motivate that audience to respond. Then when they finally do respond, an error message?!?

Now, I'm not blaming IT overtly. It's just as important for Marketing to talk to IT and say "We're expecting X% click-through, which could mean as many as Y purchases in a 48 hour period. Can our system support that?" as it is for IT to anticipate the demands on the system based on the overall corporate marketing strategy.

The point is: Marketing and IT need to be aligned so this doesn't happen.

How to facilitate and solidify this alignment is a topic for a book, not a blog post.

I just might talk to a publisher or two...

This is a blog post

2008-04-09T14:18:00.003-04:00

Doesn't that title stink!?

Yet that's the same sort of generic boredom that SO MANY companies choose for their tag-line. Just yesterday I was driving home from a client visit when I heard a radio commercial for some non-descript company whose tag-line was "Large enough to meet your needs. Small enough to care." At the EXACT same time, the tractor trailer beside me had the tag-line on the back: "Large enough for your needs, small enough to care."

I can't even count the number of companies that use some variation of this tag-line.

Generic stinks when it comes to tag-lines.

If ANY company can insert their company name before your tag-line and still achieve the same result, you need to change it!

Your tag-line should convey some benefit, relate to your product (or at least industry), stir up an emotion, or create a unique market position. Here are examples of great tag-lines from each category (respectively):

"The ultimate driving machine" (why BMW dropped it after 31 years I don't know)

"For all you do, this Bud's for you"

"You're in good hands"

"We're #2. We try harder"

Your tag-line needs to accomplish something. Something unique! Generic, unoriginal tag-lines that anyone can use accomplish nothing. You need to think about your own tag-line and what it accomplishes. It's critical for maintaining your competitiveness.

Just do it.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

VISA shows up in the right place at the right time

2008-04-04T15:06:00.008-04:00

If marketing is all about creating the demand for a product (in the mind of the consumer) then matching the perfect product to that need, VISA has set a new standard.

You've probably already seen it, or even taken advantage of it (albeit, only if you're in the US - more on that in another post!). If you've chosen some products from amazon.com lately, and you're in the checkout process, there's pane at the top of the page showing you:
- How much you will be spending with this checkout
- How much you would save with an amazon VISA card ($30)
- Your new total for the checkout

So if you're about to buy $35 worth of books, there it is staring you right in the face: get a VISA (instantaneously, no less), pay $5 instead!

Why wouldn't you?

Sure there are reasons not to, but they are the same reasons you would have with any other card. VISA has created an offer so compelling, though, that they certainly have a far better chance of signing you up than any other card would. They are in the right place at the right time!

Think about your online ads. Are you simply trying to find the sites that offer the most impressions and/or the right demographics and hoping a good portion of the audience might be interested enough to click through, or are you finding sites that by their nature direct people to the EXACT desired behviour that suits your product, then promoting said product right when it would be most useful to them? See the difference?!

What will ads look like in 40 years?

2008-04-02T23:35:00.008-04:00

Here's a beauty print ad from about 40 years ago (click to enlarge).

And another gem:
Here's a thought: which ads from today will be the ones that raise eyebrows tomorrow?

Print ads done right - Porsche

2008-04-01T21:22:00.004-04:00

When it comes to automobiles, I would consider myself a modest enthusiast. I know enough to know that Porsche makes arguably the finest sports cars in the world.

When it comes to automobile advertising, I would consider myself a very observant analyst. Local dealer ads are usually laughable, and larger manufacturer ads (with the mice type financial disclaimer that no one can read... even when paused... and that appears on your TV screen for about 0.8 seconds) are even worse (sounds like two upcoming blog posts - stay tuned!).

Then there's Porsche.

In marketing, consistency counts. You need to send the same message every time, and send it many times. Each message is only similar to the last if fonts, logos, tag lines, colours, and messages are consistent. Porsche sets the standard in this regard, especially in their print campaign.

It's been running for more than 6 years in its current form. And its form, much like the automobiles it promotes, is flawless (Carmichael Lynch is the agency). Top quality image always in the same location. Always a white background. One short, clever headline. Three lines of copy. Never more. Never less. Same tag line... every time (you know it: Porsche. There is no substitute.). Logo in the same location... every time.

Porsche. There is no substitute... for the perfect ad.

Anybody else have an issue with milk advertising?

2008-03-27T21:45:00.011-04:00

We all know that the collective milk producers and dairy farmers are advertising heavily (with their "Got Milk?" campaign), and I can see why. They want people to drink more milk. The campaign has got to be the most successful in history (they claim more than 90% awareness). I can believe that number - their ads are EVERYWHERE.

My issue is more with the scope of their campaign. In an previous post I talked about the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement, if done well. They are taking this to the extreme! According to Wikipedia, no few than 200 celebrities have donned the milk mustache. And these are premium-priced celebrities - from Tiger Woods to Angelina Jolie. 200!!! And that's just the non-fictional celebrities! Add a couple dozen more fictional characters, such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Garfield.

Is that necessary? C'mon, I get it. I should drink more milk. But I would rather you use only a handful of these celebrities so that you don't have to charge me $6 for four litres to cover your marketing costs!

I know, I know, how can I, as a marketing consultant, advise against advertising spends? Well, because I think we also have a responsibility to make sure we're not excessively overcharging in order to recoup the costs associated with blatantly glamourous campaigns. In this case, it even seems somewhat monopolistic, since there isn't really a direct competitor to milk. If I want my cereal, I have to spend the $6!

Have your say: What are some other offenders? Who else overcharges to seemingly recoup marketing costs?

Yup, cool matters

2008-03-25T22:47:00.009-04:00

Sometimes, despite all the planning, demographic analysis, targeting, contingency planning, sensitivity analysis, and focus groups, cool just works.

This really cool microsite makes me want to buy an R8. Period.

(turn sound on, click logo, and make sure you click "start now")

Have your say: What are some other examples of "really cool, and therefore effective"?

You don't want the business? Someone else will take it!

2008-03-19T14:35:00.004-04:00

Here's another thing that boggles my mind: companies that actually utter the words "you would be better off going somewhere else." Come again?!?!

Phone companies are chronic offenders. They offer all kinds of deals to new customers, but if you're an existing customer, you get nothing. It's almost common knowledge now that the best way to have the best cell phone and the best service is to switch companies every 2 years!

I ran into another example in a less-likely-to-offend industry the other day: the hotel industry. I called on a Sunday looking for a conference room for the following day. The response I got: "There's no one here to take your reservation." HUH? Who am I talking to then? For them, they were so caught up in their internal departmental responsibilities that they couldn't take my reservation because no one from the catering department was working that day. Heck, they even recommended another hotel nearby for me to try.

Don't you think someone ought to be fired over that?

How hard is it to add the conference rooms to the booking software so that anyone can book any room?

Stop allowing your employees to invent ways to turn business away. Start inventing ways for your employees to build business.

Everyone matters when it comes to your brand!

2008-03-18T12:11:00.004-04:00

It still boggles my mind when I see companies ignore those subtle differences between making a good impression and a bad one. We know that your brand is the collection of impressions that people have about your company, so you need to pay attention!

Case in point: I was at a meeting in a hotel (that shall remain nameless, I suppose. I'm on a bit of a streak of calling out companies for the wrong reasons, so a bit of a reprieve for this GTA hotel) not too long ago. We were holding a small meeting in one of the conference rooms there, and one of the attendees wanted a coffee. We were told that the options were to buy 'coffee service' from catering for $17 (for ONE pot of coffee) or to get one from the restaurant. We chose the latter option, and proceeded to fork out just under $3 for the smallest cup of coffee you've ever seen.

What impression do you think that left on us?!

How much does one cup of coffee cost that hotel? Conversely (and more importantly), how much does it 'cost' them to lose all future conference room bookings (and hotel room bookings for that matter)? And what is the 'cost' of all the bad press we are spreading?

Now imagine our reaction if they had said "We'd be happy to bring coffee to you - how many cups do you need? It's no charge - we're happy you chose our hotel for your meeting."

This is customer service and brand management 101 people!

So here's your job - think of how you are empowering your people to reinforce your DESIRED brand impression. And think of all the possible ways they might be damaging your brand too!

Have your say: Give me some examples of brand damaging or brand reinforcing behaviour you have encountered.

Don't waste your marketing dollars - another example!

2008-03-17T10:06:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the slight gap in blog posts - it was the March Break after all. Disney's become an annual 'must' for the kids.

In my last post I talked about the importance of targeting your marketing tactics so that a high proportion of the audience is actually your target audience. Well, the next day in the mail, I received a package in the mail that, sadly, strengthened my contention.

Lab Safety Supply (I had to look hard to find the name of the company... but I'll save that one for another day) sent me a 196 page (not a typo) catalogue, in full colour, with a nice glossy cover, listing industrial safety and storage products (like bins, ladders, cabinets, safety goggles, etc.). It was actually a very impressive catalogue. But it was wasted on me!

I have a consulting business. I will never need any of their products. Ever. Why send this to me? It's not hard to get your list provider to include the industry, or SIC / NAICS code, or number of employees even. If they used any of those filters, they would have saved the cost of this rather impressive catalogue (probably in the $8-$10 range) and the postage (probably $2-$3).

Now to give them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps they are counting on me passing it along to someone I know who might be interested in their products. A good thought, but I'm likely not going to. And of all the people they sent it to, I'm probably the most likely to pass it on (since, as a Marketing person, I am aware of the importance of such business building tactics). Most people will be bitter that they're cutting down so many trees to produce it. Perhaps they want me to put it on my waiting room table... but I don't have one. And they should know that.

The strongest argument for deciding to do this is the hope that I will pass it on to someone I know. Then, it is sure to get to the right person, and I have essentially endorsed it by passing it to them. Endorsement, as we know, is a powerful marketing tool. But if they wanted that result, they could have achieved it for a lot less. Send me a flyer instead of a full catalogue. Or an email even. I will never look at all 196 pages, so why send them?!

The point is, don't waste your marketing dollars. Especially when it can be so easily avoided (as is it could have been here). Those dollars are better spent somewhere else.

Have your say: Do you have any examples of marketing waste?

Don't waste your marketing dollars

2008-02-26T14:47:00.004-05:00

Too often I see companies wasting money on advertising media that doesn't suit them. Brodie Limited is the latest victim.

Yesterday I was tackling the morning drive into Toronto and I heard an ad on the radio for these "Big Lasers" from Brodie Ltd. They even have a memorable redirect url - www.biglaser.ca. It didn't take me long to figure out that this is a company that makes and sells laser metal cutters, and that their cutters can make precise cuts over large areas. Now, it's a effective ad in that I got the message, but they wasted their money.

On the morning drive into Toronto, on the station to which I was listening, at any one moment in time you have EVERYONE who drives a car listening, regardless of what they do. Presumably, Brodie wants to target metal cutting purchasers or managers responsible for the precise cutting of large sheets of metal. What percentage of the morning Toronto commuters would fit that description? 0.002%? Yet the advertising sales rep for that station certainly charged the same rate he/she would charge any other company. Brodie paid to reach 100% of drivers, when it only wanted to reach 0.002%. That's 99.998% waste.

Now it's entirely possible that Brodie has exhausted every other possible marketing tactic and decided to simply build brand awareness through mass media marketing. Nothing wrong with that, but I doubt that's the case. And for such a unique product, I'm not even sure the benefit of brand awareness is worth the investment. I must also admit that it's possible they got the air time for free (maybe a Superbowl wager gone bad), but I doubt that too. The point is, they likely spent money reaching out to a lot of people that will never have anything to do with laser cutters.

And they're not the only victims - I see it all the time.

Most often small companies like Brodie come across a marketing idea that seems like a good idea, but they're not getting good advice about that idea. Maybe a colleague or even a relative mentioned it in passing, and they thought they should be proactive marketers, so they look into it. An advertising sales rep would talk about the merits of brand awareness and would not be motivated to turn them away, so off they go!

To me, though, that money is much better spent on tactics where (closer to) 100% of the audience is a potential customer. Trade shows, trade publication print ads, web site advertising on industry sites, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and so on and so on.

The key is to maximize the percentage of the audience that would be a potential customer. Mass media isn't always the best approach.

Funny works. McDonald's offers latest example.

2008-02-18T10:26:00.003-05:00

One of the marketing truths is that funny works. The key to marketing tactics is to be memorable and like any really good joke, the funny ones are usually the most memorable.

McDonald's is the latest company to hit the funny bone, with it's mini sticks TV spot.

It works because it is side-splittingly funny, but also because they have obviously made it funny for their target market - the hockey fan (count me in). In arenas around the country this ad is being replayed again and again over a post-game wobbly pop. Marketers (especially marketers of products aimed at the hockey playing audience) dream for this kind of response.

As I sat in the dressing room last night after my weekly old-timers tilt, the most important point of all was raised by my left-winger... that we all remember the company that ran the spot and the product they were promoting. That's marketing utopia.

Have your say: What are the funniest ads?

My other votes:
- Terry Tate (Reebok)
- eTrade baby (eTrade, from '08 Superbowl)