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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.

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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.

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Brand building has become the holy grail that businesses fervently seek.  And they are wise to do so, but they cannot neglect the reason they are in business… the customers.  Don Schultz, Professor Emeritus of Integrated Marketing at Northwestern University says “It’s not the brand that has value in the marketplace.  It’s the customer.”

The brand is indeed vital because it is an expression of the unique promise that a company makes to its customers.   Agencies are devoted to helping companies develop and express their brand.  But a good agency takes this a step further.  A good agency cannot stop at developing a great brand image.  They cannot stop after developing the brand promises.  A good agency goes the extra mile and promotes “customering”.

Customering means that a brand is activated throughout all touch points, consistently.  It is the natural extension of the brand development process.   An agency that practices “customering” works strategically with their clients to bring that brand promise to customers in consistent, creative, multi-channeled ways.  That agency will tirelessly suggest multiple and varied touch points to put the brand and the customer together. 

Who does this well?  If you see a campaign that engages customers in the brand promise in multiple, unique and consistent touch points, let me know!

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With more and more traditional and non-traditional marketing opportunities available to companies these days to build their brand, it’s no wonder the death of the 30 second spot continues to be a topic of much conversation.  And one example of the untruth to that discussion is coffee juggernaut Starbucks’ recent launch of their first national TV campaign earlier this month.  

Starbucks, a company who has mastered the art of non-traditional marketing with a storefront on almost every corner, and has traditionally turned up their nose at TV advertising, is suddenly embracing the idea of mass media advertising through TV.  Yes, they’ve run spots before for their packaged product Doubleshot (the “Gene, Gene, Gene” spot is still one of my favorites), but with increased competition in the retail coffee biz, and more importantly slower sales and decreasing share price, Starbucks believes it needs to reach out to a broader audience.    

“As a national leader, we have an opportunity to make sure our voice is heard in the all-important media of TV. This is the beginning of a new opportunity for us,” Chairman Howard Schultz said at the announcement of the campaign. “We are up for the defense, and we will get on the offense.”

So in an effort to get people in the doors and sales and share value moving upward again, Starbucks decided that their plan of attack in the coffee wars would be through a new warm, fuzzy, animated TV holiday campaign that uses the tagline “Pass the Cheer.” 

But on top of all the competition with other coffee chains and independents, Starbucks also has to defend against the deep pockets of McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts who are spending considerable budget on marketing their coffee drinks.

Will the “new” tactic work?  Only time will tell who’ll win this over-caffinated battle, but it’s nice to see recognition of the power TV advertising is to the importance to a brand. 

Let us know what you think.  

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It’s the day after Thanksgiving. You’re beginning to recover from the tryptophan-induced napping. You may even be thinking about heading out to do some Black Friday shopping for Christmas. Good luck with that. I’m staying away from the malls personally.

But I do want to give thanks for our clients. They keep us in business; they let us do good work; they are the relationships that make the work worth doing.

And, fortunately, none of OUR clients would ever do anything that resembles anything in this little fun movie clip below. Nope. Never. Never.

Hope your Thanksgiving was great. Back to work on Monday!

~Jim

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Where’s Darren Steven?

Over the past couple of years marketers like Target, Mazda, Sprite, and others have increasingly used catchy tune to generate interest in their brand and their products. According to AdAge’s Marc Altshuler, music continues to do what it has done for decades: Inflect the visual content of ads. Does it work? Check out some of my old and new favorites and see if they get you humming:

Share some of your favorites with us.

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It’s fall. A glorious time for changing leaves and television media buying. Heroes is back on. Chuck is taking off. It gets dark really early, so you curl up with the warm glow of the LCD flat screen and absorb billions of dollars worth of advertising messages.

But there’s a writers strike. And advertisers are evaluating their options. With the writer’s strike in its second week, production has ceased on most prime time shooting, including Desperate Housewives, the Office and 24 (which is probably good since Kiefer is in the slammer anyway). So far, only the talk shows have been sent to reruns, but that will have to change if the strike continues for too long.

The big losers in this won’t be the advertisers, but the stations. If ratings plunge, the media buyers won’t lose because they have guarantees of viewership in their buys.

But if the strike continues and media buyers pull their budgets, where will all the $$ flow? Good question. What do you think?

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Agency/client relationships need work and nurturing to keep the “romance” alive and become productive, long-lasting and rewarding.  Here are the keys to building a strong, two-way relationship.

Trust:  Both parties work to develop trust.  The client trusts the agency to cherish the client’s best interests, the agency trust the client to play fair.

Creativity:  Agency delivers innovative, business-building ideas on a consistent basis.  Including convergence marketing ideas, strategic media initiatives and social media concepts.

Passion:  Bringing enthusiasm, energy and joy every day to the relationship is what keeps it alive and thriving.

Loyalty:  An agency stands by a client’s side and is their champion and cheerleader.  A client gives the agency credit, kudos and kind words.

Attention:  Taking each other for granted is a relationship killer.   Neglect should not be allowed to ever creep into a relationship.

Honesty:  No relationship can thrive without openness and honesty.  Fear should be banished from communications, and honesty embraced.

Friendship:  Long-lasting relationships are based on friendship.  Socialability, conviviality, and pleasant companionship are the cement that keep a relationship strong.  Emotional connection is the basis for both great creative campaigns and for rewarding business relationships.

How nice it is to be able to say “I love my work.”  And mean it.

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Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty is back again, with a new viral video. A follow-up to their wildly popular “Evolution” video (Remember that one? Average looking woman sits in a chair and is transformed over about 75 seconds into a supermodel on a billboard? If not, see below).

The new video, called OnSlaught, is compelling to anyone who has daughters. (I have 3, so I’m paying attention.)

Check it out:

IMHO, this video is excellent, on message, compelling and will be shared. It’s just 5-10% short of the Evolution video. Here’s why:

• Evolution came first. Sequels are almost never as interesting because you already know generally where they are going with it. You didn’t know where Evolution was going when it started to play the first time.
• Evolution was more subtle. This one makes a great point. It’s well produced, but it’s like it’s trying harder to be hard-hitting. The other hit us when we weren’t looking. This one still hits us, we’re just looking for it in this case.

What do you think? (If you don’t remember the Evolution video, watch it below… It’s great.)

Cross published on Life Is Marketing

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Last month in our Brogan :60 Impact we discussed the launch of Gap’s new ad campaign featuring 12 celebrities enlisted to help save it’s struggling sales. In that same article, we mentioned Macy’s taking a similar approach to increase it’s lagging sales. Now with the release of both campaigns, I have to say I think someone finally got the use of celebrity’s right, that someone is Macy’s.

I caught the :60 version (below) of the spot during a commercial break of my series premiere marathon this past weekend and it actually made me stop and rewind my DVR. I sat and watched it as if it was a series premiere itself and at the end my fiancé and I said at the same time, “that was really good.”

Check it out for yourself then come back and we’ll chat about what makes it “really good.”

So, what makes this so much better than Gap’s (current and past) execution? Well, Macy’s takes a different approach. It brings the brands to life by showing celebrities highlighting and essentially selling their own products. While Gap tries to convince us that the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Missy Elliot actually shop and wear Gap clothes on a regular basis.

Remember the JC Penny It’s All Inside Campaign? They almost had it but, not quite. Macy’s takes it to another level, by showcasing the brands (and the personalities behind them) instead of the traditional retail method of simply displaying a mainstream outfit here or a decent pair of shoes there. The spots are focused on the brands and quality of product that Macy’s carries. They are beginning to create a personal relationship with the customers and the brands. Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway, the emotional connection a customer has to a product or service?

Now, will this result in increased sales for Macy’s? I think this will depend on if they continue this customer experience into the stores and through the end of a sale. But, what I do know is with this great creative strategy and solid execution they are definitely in an excellent position for the upcoming holiday season.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the spot. Love it? Hate it? Leave a comment.

Check out the other spots in the campaign here.

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Spam: no longer the weird pink meat-like product we ate as kids. The American classic has taken on a whole new meaning for email users. It’s sent by those inconsiderate junk mailers who want to clog our email system. We all get it. We try to block it. We delete it. We wish it would just STOP. But could you be a Spammer??? Do those massive group forwards or the “send this to 3,000 of your closest friends for good luck” emails make you wonder??? Well, here is what the folks at CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Market) canspam website define as SPAM and the guidelines they have devised:

• False and misleading header information is banned
  - This means that an email’s “From,” “To” and routing information, including the originating domain name and address, must be accurate and identify the sender.

• Deceptive subject lines are prohibited -
  The subject line cannot mislead the receiver of the message to open it under false pretenses, thinking it’s something else. The receiver must not be mislead as to the contents or subject matter of the email.

• Opt-out methods must be provided - A response mechanism must be provided for the receiver to opt-out of any future commercial messages from the sender. In addition, opt-out requests must be processed
  for at least 30 days after the initial commercial email was sent, and senders have 10 business days
  after an opt-out request to stop sending messages to that address. Messages cannot be sent to the opt-out requestor on behalf of the sender by any other entity.

• Commercial email must be identified as an advertisement and it must include the sender’s valid physical postal address
  The receiver must be clearly informed that the message is an advertisement or solicitation, he must be told he can opt-out of future mailings, and a valid physical postal address must be included in the message.

• Receivers must be warned of sexually explicit material
  - For any message that contains sexually explicit material, the warning “SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT” must be contained in the subject line.

Other interesting statistics:

• The most prevalent type of SPAM is advertising-related email, which accounts for about 36% of all SPAM messages. Can you guess #2?? Rhymes with the most searched topic on the internet…You GUESSED IT… pornography.

• Identity theft (or phishing) makes up at 73% of online scams.

• SPAM costs businesses about $20.5 billion annually in decreased productivity and technical expenses, according to Radicati Research Group, Inc.;

• And Nucleus Research estimates that the average loss per employee annually base of SPAM is approx. $1934.

I don’t know about you but I’m no longer hungry. Wanna know more visit spamlaws.com

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I think I watched about 1 hour of TV over the last 3 months. There was nothing on. I’ve got stuff to do. I didn’t really miss it.

But then Monday: Wham! TV was back, and it wasn’t playing around. How I Met Your Mother, Heroes, the new weird show Chuck. Tuesday with Two and Half Men. All of sudden TV was back. And I watched some Monday and <<gasp>> even a bit more on Tuesday. (Completely coincidentally, I just overheard Chris in my office say to Erin: “Isn’t tomorrow the Office premiere? Boom. Done. I’m there.”)

There’s been lots written about fragmentation of TV channels, the proliferation of DVRs like Tivo, the rise of alternative entertainment choices (online, gaming, etc.) and much of it is true. But let’s remember that TV can still be an event that brings people together.

These events are advertising opportunities, and they are getting more valuable. Think season premieres, season finales, award shows, big sporting events… We’ve bought the Oscars for clients and been very happy with it. TV has problems, but to reach the world quickly, there are still opportunities.

What do you think? Leave a quick comment.

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