2 days post-Christmas and I’m still enjoying holiday greeting cards. E-cards that is. Because I tried really hard to stay away from my email for a couple of days to just focus on my kids and “enjoy the holiday” (finish wrapping, buying stocking stuffers, picking up the ham…then, throwing away mounds of wrapping, cleaning melted chocolate from stockings, making hambone soup, etc…) So today, the dreaded email catch-up day, was brightened with some much appreciated holiday e-cards.

A procractinator’s best friend, the e-card can be sent on Christmas Eve and still be “on time”. A recent USA Today article says that while traditional greeting cards are still the preferred way to send holiday cheer, e-cards are definitely gaining momentum. American Greetings has seen its e-card volume rise 9% to 41 million cards this year. Why? They’re instant, free, funny and interactive. No surprise that e-cards are more popular among young people. Also, no surprise that every single e-card I received was from a marketing/creative type. (Yes, I work in an ad agency, but I have lots of non-marketing/creative types in my life!)

The U. S. Postal Service contends, “When it matters, it’s mailed. You don’t put an e-mail on your refrigerator.” The average American household mailed 26 holiday cards in 2006, up from 21 in 2004. I gotta say while I enjoyed my e-cards, I did not take the time to print out any of them, so only the ham made it to the fridge this year.

Speaking of ham, my all-time fav holiday e-card is the one we put together for our client, HoneyBaked Ham. It pretty much sums up the way we all feel as we’re “enjoying the holiday!” Check it out via the link below.

http://www.honeybakedoccasion.com/e-card_to_the_rescue/index.aspx

Crain’s Detroit Business creates and maintains valuable business information lists throughout the year and publishes an annual Book of Lists.

Check out www.crainsdetroit.com for details. We all know information is power. If YOU are not on the lists, you should definitely know who is. Who is on the list of largest Accounting Firms, the top paid CEO, the largest Livingston County employers and over 50 other significant categories?

In celebration of this important and monumental work by Crain’s, Brogan & Partners has created our own page of lists as an advertisment in the upcoming Book of Lists (unsanctioned, of course, by Crain’s).

In it we have listed all sorts of great business categories including Signs Your SUV May Be Too Big, Best Excuses for Not Coming to Work and our personal favorite, 15 Cutest CEOs.

And in the spirit of underpromising and overdelivering, we actually listed 18 very cute CEOs. The follow is the list:

o Frank Stella,

o Edsel Ford II,

o Beth Chappell,

o Tarik Daoud,

o Gail Torreano,

o Dan Leopp,

o Leslie Murphy,

o David Brandon,

o Fred Hoffman,

o Sam Logan,

o Ron Hall,

o Rick Snyder,

o John Rakolta,

o Chris Illich,

o Peter Karmanos,

o Rod Gillum,

o Yousif Ghafari,

o Raj Vattikuti.

Who would YOU add to this list? Tell us in the comments field.

A great client of ours forwarded this along. It’s a very fun, festive, tongue-in-cheek holiday message.

If you’ve ever worked in an advertising agency or worked with an advertising agency, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. (As long as you can laugh a bit at yourself.)

Full credit to World Wide Wadio for the creativity. I mean, the writing is good, but the effort to assemble a choir to sing it and to find that footage… That makes it priceless.

Thank you, to our great clients, for making 2007 so exciting, and almost never, ever actually asking for your logo to be bigger.

~Your Pals at Brogan & Partners

They seem to begin earlier every year.  You can tell they are starting because there is usually a “jingle bell” sound incorporated in the music and the dark background in the spot is lit up by holiday light coming from a house, a fireplace, candles, or a tree.  Sometimes you just get glimpse of a black shiny boot or a red velvet jacket.  Oh, and the music is somehow addictive in nature – sort of like Starbucks.   You’re on to them.
  

Not three seconds into the commercial, someone in the room makes a comment regarding how outrageous retailers are in airing spots so soon – for crying out loud, you haven’t even begun putting a dent in the candy bowl from Halloween.  There is still at least 10 bite size Snickers left, rolls of Smarties, 2 pairs of wax lips, lots of banana Laffy Taffy, and you can’t even see the peanut candies wrapped in orange and black that no one wants slowly melting at the bottom of the bowl.  Yet, by the time the end of the year arrives, you find yourself humming the tunes played in these “too-early-to-air” spots and according to a study conducted by BIGresearch for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, they actually create revenue as they drive consumers to stores and web sites.  The survey showed that 17.1% of consumers were persuaded by their favorite holiday ad to shop with a specific retailer.  Interesting as well is that young adults were much more likely than other shoppers to say that holiday television ads sent them to specific stores (27.3% vs. 17.1%).  Target, Wal-mart and Macy’s were included as favorites.  So, who is your favorite holiday advertiser?

Mirror, mirror on the wall…what makes us different from them all?

Coming up with a real differentiator in healthcare can be daunting. How do you differentiate from all the other healthcare ads with happy, healthy-looking people doing happy, healthy-looking activites? Or the stethescoped docs looking professional and caring? Or the carefully crafted overmix of high tech with high touch? (I’ve never met a healthcare client who didn’t want both.) 

By taking a long, hard look in the mirror to come up with the most original, unique truth. Just like humans or snowflakes ( I live in Michigan), no two hospitals or health organizations are exactly alike! Which is what makes our lives as healthcare marketing professionals so exciting! We have to don our detective hats and delve for that “first”, “most”, or innovation, whether it’s related to product, volume, research, treatment approach, doctors, nurses, staff, facility, access, price, etc.

After specifying what makes you pleasingly different, it’s time to define the “True Connection”. If that sounds like relationship lingo to you, you’re absolutely right. We can’t just spout features and hope to be heard. The messaging must emotionally connect with our target.

Where I work, no job gets through the door of the Creative Department without a thoughtful definition of the True Connection. Our 1-page creative brief boils down the key strategic facts culminating with this magical statement, which is the basis for communication that is noticed and heard. You worked hard to find it. Be sure your differentiator looks the target right in the eye to make that memorable True Connection.

This isn’t a blog about some cutesy PR gimmick or case study. But there is a deep lesson here that could apply in our professional and personal lives. I read a story this week that just took my breath away, for several reasons. The recovery of Kevin Everett is remarkable. But it’s the story behind the story, one key moment to be exact, that needs reflection. Everett is the Buffalo Bills football player who was paralyzed while making a tackle during the first game of the season. Everett’s spinal cord was not severed, but was severely damaged, leaving little hope of recovery.  He lay on the field that day a quadriplegic. Yet three months later he’s walking, and slowly regaining motor skills throughout his body. His inner strength and courage is inspiring. As is that of a doctor who treated Everett, Dr. Andrew Cappuccino.

After giving Everett a battery of tests and going through all the usual treatments associated with this type of injury, Cappuccino made one controversial decision that may have changed Everett’s prognosis forever. We may never know if Cappuccino’s decision was the turning point. There’s a huge debate raging in the medical community about the doc’s decision and the actual impact on Everett. We do know he went against the opinion of many, and that of conventional wisdom, because he felt strongly that this was Everett’s only hope. 

Dr. Cappuccino made the decision to induce hypothermia, believing it would provide “neuroprotection” and reduce swelling, thus relieving pressure on the severely damaged spinal cord.  Cold therapy is used for other ailments, but not for spinal cord injuries.  Cappuccino sought counsel in his wife, who is also a doctor.  From the Sports Illustrated article, “At one point during the debate over inducing hypothermia, Cappuccino called his wife, whose medical judgment he trusts. She encouraged him to go with his instincts. “I’m human,” says Cappuccino. “Things passed through my mind. If I do this and it blows up in my face, I’m exposing myself to a lot of scrutiny. We could lose the house, lose the cars, the kids don’t go to college. But I had to be able to put my head on the pillow that night and believe that I did the best job I could do.”

The article continues, “Everett was placed on the CoolGard in the predawn hours of Monday, Sept. 10, and within two hours his body had cooled to a temperature of 91.5°. That morning Everett was able to squeeze his thighs against Cappuccino’s hands. “Everybody was stunned,” says Cappuccino, “including me.”

It doesn’t so much matter whether or not this one decision actually made the difference. It’s the fact that he made the choice, and stood by it. That’s how diseases are cured. That’s why we can wake up in Raleigh and go to sleep in Tokyo.  That’s why there’s an American Flag stuck on the moon. And why patients who otherwise would spend the rest of their lives in a coma, or in bed, can now lead productive lives…because someone like Dr. Cappuccino had the guts to do something no one else had tried.

Here’s a great quote:

The advertising person’s role on any side of the business is to help a company understand its customers and their needs better; to help a company respond to and speak to those needs, efficiently and effectively. Advertising is an honest business, a noble business, the engine of the American economy.-Bob Lauterborn

Lauterborn, James L. Knight Professor of Advertising a the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina, can take a complex concept and condense it to its most brilliant and concise truthfulness.  Really, the guy creates intellectual diamonds. 

So what does that quote mean to us in the advertising business?  Simply said, everything in advertising starts with the customer, involves the customer and ends with the customer.  The minute advertising becomes “to” the customer instead of “about” the customer, it begins to be a waste of time and money. 

Look at the best advertising:  it tell the customer more about THEMSELF than the PRODUCT.  Every aspect of the message addresses the customer and the customer’s need. 

When you see an advertisement that you don’t get, know that you are NOT SUPPOSED to get it.  It isn’t about you and it isn’t for you.  And then try to figure out how you happened to see the message… are you a 60-something watching MTV?

“Know thy customer” is worth repeating.  And Bob Lauterborn explains why so well. 

The other day, I was asked to speak at Robert Lauterborn’s class at UNC-Chapel Hill. He teaches a really interesting class on how to be a good client. Last year after I spoke to the same class, I wrote ten ways to be a good advertising client on my other blog, Life Is Marketing.

This year, Bob passed out an article by Lee Anne Morgan where she talks about the relationship between clients and agencies. She makes some excellent comments, including:

Many advertisers no longer perceive their agencies as partners but as vendors. There are differences though between being a partner and being a vendor. And these differences affect motivation, inspiration, dedication, truth, skin-on-the table…and an environment where creativity is easily birthed.

Lee Anne understands that agency-client relationships are not all about analytics. Check out this comment:

Every time an agency is fired, every time an advertiser feels it is not receiving value for their investment, and every time an advertiser and agency split asunder before taking all the steps they can towards partnership retention, then some ‘thing’ more intangible than metrics and profits, yet equally yoked, is at stake: that fragile space in which human values and creativity are cradled.

Well said, Lee Anne. Her whole article is worth reading. I hope you’ll spend the time to do so.

According to Wikipedia, the lyrics from this 1979 hit by the Buggles express a desire to remember nostalgic radio through which many “stars” were created and a fear that children of current and past generations would not appreciate the medium due to the introduction of television music videos.   Many people know it was the first video shown on MTV, but many do not know that it was also the millionth.  Who would guess that almost 30 year after its release, stars would be created on a medium called the Internet. So, the question is: If video killed the radio star, and the Internet killed the TV star, any guesses as to who will kill the Internet star?  One thing is for certain, this song and this video will go on forever.  It never gets old. 

How do you distinguish your healthcare event from all the others? Same idea as effective break-through advertising. You must create an emotional connection with your target. Something I thought the Rainbow Connection did very well with its “Celebration of Dreams” event last Sunday night. If you’ve never heard of it, this organization makes dreams come true for very sick children. 120 in 2007, to be exact. With trips to Disney World, Sea World, the Oprah Winfrey Show, whatever the youth desires. One 17 year old yearning for his independence on many levels received a brand new car this year.

There was the typical silent and live auctions, food, drinks and socializing. But what warmed my heart on this chilly evening was the involvement of the Wish Kids in a Fashion Show. Coifed and excited, the 4 to 15 year olds strode proudly down the runway, looking as healthy and normal as can be, their families and supporters cheering them on. We shared a table with one Wish family and when their 7 year old jumped on stage in his Spiderman PJs, there was such pride and joy on their faces. Something the Rainbow Connection is good at creating. This family had just returned from a glorious week in Florida fulfilling their son’s dream of trick-or-treating at Disney World.

From a marketing perspective, the Fashion Show was a brilliant display of the Rainbow Connection’s most positive and differentiating asset: the Wish Kids. The personal touch of the children and their real-life stories created an emotional connection for me. I always knew this was a good cause, but that night I felt it. So what will happen? I will remember the event and the organization in a very positive light. I will spread the word. And I will hug my daughter a little longer when I tuck her in at night.

A friend called today and gave me a pop quiz on old school/retro candy.  As I starting thinking back to my childhood, I was surprised at how easily PopRocks, Boston Baked Beans, Lemonheads, Squirrels, Bit-O-Honey, Chick-o-sticks, Mike and Ikes and Whatchimacallits came to mind.  I’m certainly not the candy connoisseur I used to be.  Even more surprising was that not only could I remember the taste of these yummy treats but also their packaging.  Yes, I could recall the color, size, shape and type of wrapper for each one.  Great memory?  Not exactly.  Great packaging? You’re getter closer.  Great marketing? BINGO!!  Great marketing is about the WHOLE package.  The outside promises that the inside will be something great.  If either of these elements fall short of their promise, the end comes very quickly and the memories fades forever.

Two companies have used marketing tactics recently that whipped my head around (figuratively, fortunately). Both were brutally honest. It was amazing, funny and rereshing.

Remember that 1990 movie with Dustin Hoffman and Darryl Hannah called Crazy People? He was an ad exec that went crazy and started writing lines like, “Metamucil. It helps you go to the toilet. If you don’t use it, you get cancer and die.” and “United, most of our passengers get there alive.” These two companies suggest he might have been on to something.

The first, Woot.com, offers only one product every day at a deep discount. When it’s sold out, you’re out of luck. When it’s the next day, you’re out of luck. What I really like is their FAQ section. Here are some excerpts:

I want to talk to a live person there, can I call you?

No. We are busy sourcing new products and shipping orders. You can post a comment to our community board, but we don’t guarantee we’ll respond. You should Google for the manufacturer contact to get product answers – we suggest a dating service, magic 8 ball, or ouija board for general life solutions.

Will I receive customer support like I’m used to?

No. Well, not really. If you buy something you don’t end up liking or you have what marketing people call “buyer’s remorse,” sell it on eBay. It’s likely you’ll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle. If the item doesn’t work, find out what you’re doing wrong. Yes, we know you think the item is bad, but it’s probably your fault. Google your problem, or come back to that product discussion in our community and ask other people if they know.

Maybe I’ll just wait until this item becomes more widely available, so I know what other users think of it.

If that’s how you want to live your life, sure. Fine. There are those who would say that your type will inherit the earth. Until then, though, the rest of us will have all the coolest gizmos.

Boom. Loved the company instantly. I now check it daily and yes, I wooted and bought something… Cool.

The other is Buckley’s Cough Medicine. Their ads compare the taste of their product to the liquid that collects at the bottom of a garbage can. Apparently, they’ve been doing this shtick in Canada for years, but now they’re rolling out down here. Reminds me of Listerine’s brilliant campaign to battle Scope by acknowledging that it tasted bad, but it worked.

I haven’t tried Buckley’s yet, but I think ALL cough medicine is horrible, so might as well suffer a bit extra to get something that works…

What do you think, is brutal honesty a trend? Probably not, but it’s giving these two companies an edge.