The Super Bowl is the event of the year for advertisers. CBS asked for $2.6 million for its 30 second ads. Many companies spent millions on air time and millions more on creating the ads. Yet, many of those are lame and do not produce results – remember the internet years?
In this year’s Super Bowl Google unveiled this S I M P L E ad…
Brilliant! It offers a model for marketeers on a few fronts:
1. Product as hero. Nothing beats it, yet we’ve walked away from this POWERFUL concept – and I still don’t know why???
2. Relevant and interesting. While the story of “romance” could have been a little tighter, I still found it interesting, memorable and actionable.
3. S I M P L E .
What’s the lesson? Stick to these 3 tips, if the world’s most complicated product can tell a story this S I M P L E in 30 seconds, so can you.
You are already an expert! You are uniquely qualified to talk about something that you are passionate about… it could really be anything… or even your everyday life. Pick something you’re passionate about (e.g. hobby, interest, pets, sports, whatever). Because you are passionate about that topic, you likely are very good at it. Share your passion with the world!
I recently read “The Go-Giver” a book that talks about adding value to every relationship in your life, all the time, and in return you will receive multi-fold value. Blogging is the same way. It gives back to you.
Here are some of my personal examples:
In the short time of this blog, I’ve helped some students answer some basic marketing questions and offered career advice… Why? Somebody, somewhere along my life, did that for me – blogging is way to participate in the circle of life.
Two months ago I was approached to do some marketing consulting, which I past up to an unemployed friend…. who is monetizing on his expertise and perhaps thinking of joining the start up company.
You’d be surprised who reads your blog… a reputable recruiter picked up my postings and introduced me to two great contacts…. Who knew J
Yes, like everything else in life, at first it takes time and effort, but it’s worth your while. Read on.
BUILD SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE
There’s a wise saying that goes something like “if you want to get good at something, teach it.” Blogging is like teaching. So, you can elevate your passion to the next level through this medium.
At first, blogging takes some getting used to… but eventually you learn to make it part of your life… you learn to
Seth on Blogging: "do it for the meta cognition that comes with it"
process your blog topics and content on your unconscious mind as you live your life. That’s yet another reason why I suggest you blog about something you’re passionate about – because it will come natural to you.
The other thing is that it brings some humility… just when you think you know something, you’re reminded that others know more. And that is very healthy. Most of my blog posts are also found in industry LinkedIn groups, where very smart people challenge my thoughts and opinions… some of my postings have received tough criticism… but guess what, it makes me better!
DEVELOPMENT: OVERCOME INTERNAL BARRIERS
A confession: I started blogging later than I should have.
Over the last couple years I was tempted. I started dabbling on LinkedIn postings… did some tweeting… but I was a bit hesitant to jump on the phenomenon. A few barriers for me where:
1. No time!
2. Not sure anyone will want to read.
3. How do you sustain it?
4. Since it’s going on the web… do I really want to put my thoughts out there?
YADA, YADA, YADA… All valid points but they kept me from moving forward. At last, I jumped on board and the experience is FREEING!
1. Guess what, I still don’t have time, but I fit it in when I can (even at 3 am) because it is a topic I’m passionate about.
2. Seth says “who cares if no one reads it, do it for yourself.” Totally agree!
3. I’m not sure how long I can sustain it… or if I will… then again I don’t know if I’ll be alive tomorrow – so why worry!
4. On #4, use your best judgment. If your passion is not digestible for the general public, blog under an alias using alternative information – people only care about the topic, not you or me.
“No single thing in the last 15 years - professionally - has been more important to my life than blogging… it’s the best d--- thing in marketing” – Tom Peters
So… hopefully I’ve convinced you to keep blogging, or to start blogging… or even to consider it further…
If you need any help, reach out to me, I’ll do what I can to get you going.
Your target audience is being bombarded with messages! Vendors, your competitors and other priorities are all battling for share of mind. Everyone wants a piece of share, no matter how brief and we ALL understand the reach + frequency game, so we ALL play to win!
Social media has not only changed the business rules, but also all communication vehicles. This has given businesses new ways to market, instantly, personally and 24×7. Single person organizations are now able to compete with corporate giants, lowering traditional barriers for mass advertising.
More than ever, I propose, it is time for you to make all your marketing efforts S I M P L E.
Message
As a society, we grew up with a few misunderstandings:
§ The more complex, the more authoritative
§ Completeness is more informative
§ The use of bigger words shows a higher level of education
§ The list could go on…
In marketing, I would argue that all of these are wrong. Perhaps in the “catalog” days these would play… or in a scientific journal… or in a User’s Manual… but in today’s marketing, there’s no room for this.
1988 campaign
Stop and think of the most memorable message’s you’ve retained (we’re all consumers)… I think of:
1. Just do it – Nike
2. Live Strong – Lance Armstrong’s cancer campaign
3. The real thing – Coca Cola
Now, I realize these are all slogans… and I realize that I’m not the smartest guy in the world… but that’s really all that fits in my mind. And yes, they do shape my buying decisions. Even as I’m conscious of the intent and vehicles to influence me!
Creativity
There’s an incredible surge in video marketing. Research shows that this wave will turn into a full-blown tsunami in the next 3 years. By now, all major brands have YouTube videos peddling their products.
Most of these are incredibly entertaining and funny. The best of these, I forward to my friends for a kick. But, have we gone too far down the creativity line?
I think so… entertainment is not the goal of advertising, it is influence. Out of the hundreds of videos that I’ve absorbed, I don’t think one has influenced me to actually purchase a product – even a .99 cent product. What about you, has a video made you buy a product recently?
Execution
I see our challenge as the ability to influence through simpler creative executions. A picture says a 1,000 words… a video should only deliver a simple story… there’s really not much room for more. Even looking back at the 1984 Apple ad, it reminds me of the simple – yet difficult – responsibility of a marketer.
Finally it all needs to fit tightly and simply in the medium you’re using. Earlier I wrote a blog on advertising, those rules apply in your search for simplicity.
beautifully simple
One word of warning: in your quest for simplicity you will be going against the grain so be ready to be criticized.
Last week The Weather Garment Company (TWGC) was asked to remove a billboard displaying an image of the President Obama wearing one of its jackets. The company bought photography rights from the AP. But they did not comply with securing the approval from the subject. So when they were asked to take it down, they did so.
When I first read this story, it did not seem like a big deal to me… after all, TWGC should have secured the appropriate rights.
But after some reflection, as a marketeer, I began to wonder where the line is drawn… a couple questions for consideration:
Should magazines or other media who benefit from showing images of the President be able to make money? What about their shareholders?
What about bloggers or journalists who profit from photographs?
Where is the line drawn for approval vs. not?
Are there first amendment implications?
What are the personal rights on a public figure vs. average Joe?
What about product placements (disclosed or not)?
Then, I started thinking about the recent past… What if the White House would have asked Michael Moore not benefit Bush’s image? Would they have also asked theaters? I doubt it the White House approved those images.
I don’t have answers, just questions. In the context of marketing, I welcome your thoughts. I’m not interested in political views… just your marketing thoughts, please.
In 2010 I’m kicking off my New Year with a new advertising campaign. It starts with the focus of a print ad, to be placed in journals. As I embark on this process, I thought I’d write about the practical considerations of developing an ad. These recommendations may be part of the creative brief or even an evaluation scorecard.
For reference, I’ll use an Ad that I developed last year – and later leveraged into a comprehensive marketing campaign.
1. Identify a clear objective & target
It all starts with the goal of the advertisement. Depending on your product lifecycle and strategic business plan, you should have ONE clear goal. At the onset of this ad, we sought to introduce a new product into the market. As example, the main goal of the sample ad the was introduction of the a new offering. Therefore the copy leads as “Introducing…”
Other potential advertising goals for consideration: switch from competitors, grow a class (good examples in pharmaceutical ads) or announce a promotion. Personally I’m not a big fan of advertising just for SOV, but in some categories it makes sense – and billions of dollars are spent on this objective.
As you’re creating your ad, consider the target audience you’re attempting to appeal to. What is the segment? What are the buying behaviors? Who makes the decision? What are their “pain points” (in their language)? The more detailed, the
better.
Next, create a Creative Brief that outlines your strategy, objectives, customer insights and communication goals. Debrief with your agency or creative team & writers to make sure all key components are clearly understood. Then, get out of the way and let them work on creating break-through copy and visuals.
Once you’ve generated an ad to meet this target audience, move to testing. Test, test, test. Do it with a random sample of your target audience. Listen… you’ll have your biases… your superiors will have their biases… the creatives will have their biases… let the customer decide for you. Test a broad range of creative, from the truly innovative to the image/language that you feel truly captures your brand essence.
Back to the example, this was originally not my favorite concept, but testing over-road my bias as our customers dictated the final direction.
2. “STOPability”
The number one criteria for success in your ad will be STOPability – the power to make your target audience stop whatever they are doing to read more about your offering. If they’re not stopping your audience, you lost, nothing else matters. Also consider the targeted publications where you’ll be placing the ad and avoid the same old tired graphics, colors, pictures, etc…
In this ad we used a combination of picture and graphics to illustrate the “bottleneck” concept.
As soon the audience stops, the next important thing is the headline. Spend time on the development of this critical component. Warning: avoid cheesy proverbs or common sayings – unless they apply to your overall scheme. Original content that connects with your target audience will provide a closer connection with your brand.
3. Message clarity
After your image and headline, focus on the content. Remember your medium. If it’s a one-page magazine, write accordingly… if it’s a web page, write accordingly. Your message must strike the balance of relevant, informative and memorable.
End your message by proposing a call to action. We used a web site on our ad, but you can use: “call 1-800” or “click here” or “write to” – no matter what, so long as it is appropriate for your audience, based on the medium. Your call to action should tie back to your objective (what are you attempting to accomplish).
4. Target audience validation
As you look to validate your ad, it’s important to analyze feedback from your target audience testing. What is the message they recall? What was the call to action? Does the ad compel them to move along the buying cycle? Is the ad differentiated to others in the class?
Note: Differentiation is a topic that volumes have been written on, and rightly so… for reference see Al Ries & Jack Trout’s Differentiate or Die, worth every dime.
These are 4 Pillars for GR8 advertising. I’ve seen more complicated models, but these are the essentials. These are, like a recipe, must ingredients; the rest is practice, practice, and practice.
I welcome your additions to these pillars or feedback and insights on the blog or sample ad… good or bad… I simply cannot disclose proprietary information, but happy to discuss the proposed pillars and ad structure.
I’m a practitioner. I live off my marketing skills. Presently I work in a B2B environment marketing consulting & customized services to healthcare organizations. I have completely embraced social media for professional networking. But, I have not done so for marketing purposes, yet.
The main reason is that my target audience is not there. A secondary reason is that I prioritize other tactics, as I simply do not have an unlimited budget. Finally, because while there are good case studies on social media, the ROI is still unclear in my field, while the competing priorities are paying off dividends. So while I’ve dabbled in it, I’ve relegated most of my social media use to professional networking.
Don’t get me wrong! I love social media as a communication platform. I do believe it is a disruptive technology. But as a marketing strategist, I believe that it’s over hyped and that even those classified as “best in class” – in my opinion – are more “entertaining” and experimental (and rapidly becoming me too) than strategically centered marketing.
Take for example the Evian babies. The most watched YouTube video for 2009. Many marketers, including reputable marketing publications, point to that as “best in class” in social media. I’m sure it won many awards. It generated tons of exposure and impressions. They are cute. It’s entertaining. But did it sell more water?
It is that type of pseudo-marketing the Zyman killed at Coca-Cola. Marketing is not about ENTERTAINMENT. It’s about “selling more stuff to more people more often for more money more efficiently.”
The 2009 Financial Hangover
Kotler calls the fall out of the 2008-2009 world crisis the “New Normal,” turbulent market conditions punctuated by unpredictable uncertainty (I’m currently writing this book review for publication which I’ll post here in the next 60 days). This has caused us to be fiscally paranoid. 2010 will bring continued scrutiny on our marketing budgets.
Data, analytics and results will be critical for any marketer wanting to keep his/her budget or job. A couple of key questions to consider:
§ Is your segment still accurate?
§ Are you moving your segment along the buying continuum?
§ Are your meeting your reach & frequency requirements?
§ Are you making data-based decisions and trade-offs?
There are entire books on marketing analytics, but these questions are a good start. Unless your social media plans deliver on your key metrics, you should eliminate them. The period of experimentation is over. Your social media needs to produce hard results or you should seek other tactics to meet your objectives.
There are hundreds of companies doing social media right, I just see more abuse than not.
Social Media will Grow Up
Case study on “how not to”: The over hype reminds me of the year 1999. The internet was HOT. Web pages were the “new, new thing.” While working on a billion dollar brand, we rushed to partner with a company to build semi-custom web sites for our customers. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for 3-year services for a number of websites. At first the program seemed like a success, with hundreds of highly valued customers signing on and our company seen as progressive and value-add. After 9 months, maybe a dozen of our sites were maintained, updated or marginally utilized. We bought the over hype! We jumped too fast, we did not build a solid strategy,and we failed in this initiative.But we grew up and so will social media.
As I was writing this blog, I received a great e-mail from Marketing Profs. It’s right on with their observations and it also illustrates nicely how social media is growing up. Based on a survey of over 5,000 marketers, here are their top line observations:
1. Social media strategy is more important than tactics/gimmicks.
2. It’s not a one size fits all game.
3. Map your social media plans to your strategy.
4. All media is becoming social.
I would recommend you look into their blog. I have added it to my blogroll if you’re interested.
It takes discipline to do social media right. BUT THAT’S NOT DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING ELSE YOU SHOULD BE ALREADY DOING. 2010 will not be a year of experimentation. Social media will grow up and you should position your company to leverage this incredible marketing tool, if it makes strategic sense. Just don’t buy the over hype or do so at your own risk.
How did we get here? Traditionally, organizations seeking expertise in these areas hired top talent to lead their respected teams. As a matter of fact, industries we’re built around these separate functions – further creating silos.
Marketing – largely affiliated with advertising. Primary customer was the buyer. Major agencies: BBDO, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, etc… In any organization, you’re likely to find a VP of marketing or CMO, which we’ll refer to as a general.
Public Relations – largely responsible for handling the media, crisis or Wall Street. Primary customer was the media (TV, newspapers, etc.). Major agencies: Ketchum, Ruder Finn, MRB, etc… Mirroring the marketing function, you’re likely to find a VP of PR, which we’ll also refer to as a general.
This type of model worked for years – until recently. The internet and social media demand a coordinated effort and 2 generals on a topic/brand/position is one too many.
Speed and communication platforms: the web & social media
When I began my marketing career, we still wrote memos. We used company stationary and personally signed important client facing documents. We typically relied on 5 mailing days for the communication to hit, depending on the location of the recipient. This was still true through 1998 or so…
Unless your crisis was front-page news or TV worthy, we typically had days to “strategize” on a response. The generals (VP’s) of marketing and PR would unite their teams. Then the two generals would meet, usually with a higher up, to make a final recommendation. That’s how we used to make our moves – and it used to work very well.
Until two major developments
The internet provides a real time mass communication vehicle for any company or person. I won’t bore you with this point, except to say that before that, it was previously very difficult to achieve critical mass.
Social media has changed the speed of business at a dazzling speed. I won’t bore you with this either, except to say that this type of rapid communication is both opportunistic and frightening for marketers.
Yes, our world will never be the same, but the relevant marketeer will learn how to leverage these platforms to grow her/his business. S/he will also realize that we need to merge the functions of PR and marketing, or at least synchronize them. S/he will realize that the world has changed, and even in B2B industrials, the marketing world will never be the same.
Traditional marketing was outbound – new marketing needs to be inbound and conversational. Traditional PR is boring and ineffective. -new PR creates genuine content and adds relevance to the brand. Traditionally both functions have lived in silos – new organizations are merging both.
Why do BOTH of these functions need to be aligned?
* Your positioning and messaging will be clear to your client
* Your budget will be optimized
* The speed of business demands this – NOW
* Your clients and competitors are empowered to mass communication in an instant
* You will have a higher likelihood of breaking through the clutter
* Because is you don’t, ultimately you will fail as a marketeer!
Change the world or at least change YOUR world
The easiest way for organization to disrupt the silo mentality and leverage these new mediums will be to organize marketing and PR into one department. If you’re small and nimble, seriously consider this. However, for the majority of us, the political battles and ingrained silo mentality, this will take years – but rest assured that competition will eventually make us all do it.
So if you cannot change your organization, here are a few recommendations to help you leverage synergies between these traditional silos.
1. Align on strategy – it all starts with the multi-year business plan and your key strategies for the operating year. Make everyone part of the development processes, not simply the executers.
2. Align on tactics – for all your major initiatives, make sure everyone understands their expected contribution and objectives, including metrics. Create synergies between silos.
3. Align on key communication points – all communication should be coordinated under the same positioning, regardless of the audience.
5. Foster trust and responsibility – leverage expertise and coordinate work, don’t do someone else’s job.
6. Empower all to have a “stake in the game” – create true partnerships in good and bad.
7. You don’t have to be the HERO – It’s not about you. Put the client and initiative ahead of your silos and don’t worry about which department is leading! If you’re in marketing, give way to PR and vice versa, depending on the issue.
The provocative title “or DIE” is not an over exaggeration. Clients demand simplicity. The market demands synergies. Your competition is evolving on this path. What are you going to do?
“Really?” was the word I kept saying to myself when the Woods story broke out.
Two weekends ago, I was at the Marshall Fields flagship store (now Macy’s) in downtown Chicago, looking at the desolate Tag Heuer display – no one even looking at those watches. My initial reaction was to blame the economy… but deep down inside I felt it was bigger than that, after all, the store was crowded in spite of the –10 degree weather.
This led me to rethink this sad story and consider the implications of celebrity endorsements. This is not an attack on Mr. Woods, I’m simply attempting to discuss the marketing implications- please, if you comment, no personal insults. I mean, if world-class brands can fail with world-class role-models, is there a future for celebrity marketing?
This type of advertising focuses upon using celebrity power, fame, money, popularity to gain recognition for their products and promote specific stores or products. Advertisers often advertise their products, for example, when celebrities share their favorite products or wear clothes by specific brands or designers. Celebrities are often involved in advertising campaigns such as television or print adverts to advertise specific or general products.
As a marketeer, I can still see that celebrity marketing could work if:
1. There’s a strong tie between the person and the brand attributes + character (Tiger = competition, perfection, excellence)
2. In an established brand that needs to add relevance (can you imagine a multi-billion dollar launch with a Tiger right now?)
3. The person gives you an extension into a desirable market segment (teen idols and movie stars are the traditional example)
4. It provides product placement opportunities (i.e. Tiger at the golf course in front of millions of people or like Nascar)
Having said this, there are serious considerations to think through.
What are the risks?
The risks are obvious. You’re hinging your entire brand on a person. People are fallible. The list of celebrity endorsement failures is long and sad and the themes of sex, drugs and violence continue to repeat themselves in a seaming endless cycle. Bottom line, it comes down to a RISK calculation.
Yikes!
In Mr. Wood’s case: Gillete, Kellogg’s, Gatorade and Accenture have all done different things. From halting advertising to canceling contracts. But if you were the product manager…
WHAT WOULD YOU DO RIGHT NOW?
Perhaps it is all the media attention on this one that has me plugged in… but at the very least I would cease all campaigns and future plans with Mr. Woods. Certainly the way this has been handled has not helped – although I’m not sure how you handle this to begin with, to be honest.
This is usually the portion of the blog where I like to offer my experience… but I’m lost for words or marketing advice on this one… YOUR thoughts?
Competition has been traditionally viewed as a zero-sum game. Yet current market realities, as well as radical developments, are causing marketeers to reconsider this old thinking paradigm. For marketeers searching for growth, competition should be viewed in a new light – may be even a source for growth.
Marketing of old
old world of marketing
The concept of corporate America has a strong correlation to the concept of war. It’s evident from structure to jargon (for more on this topic see HBR: Blue Ocean Strategy). This has served us well in a domestic, less transparent, mass market and TV/radio post WWII world. Unfortunately, it has had unintended consequences for marketeers:
Product focused – either low price (efficiency) or superior product (engineering),
Structure – Internally focused, silos, top down, patriarchic,
Competitively paranoid – causing “me too” thinking, losing focus of the client or pricing wars,
There are many other examples…. (add more to this blog)
Yet the customer could care less about all of these fantasy games. For them, it’s all about the benefits we can bring to them, regardless of how we get there – and yes, even at a premium if we create the appropriate value proposition.
Marketing today
One of the market trends we all face next year is the lack of resources – for our product and our customers. Yet customers seek more value and the innovators will reap their rewards. Those who figure out how to do BOTH will generate profits in 2010.
Another major change: global markets have antiquated the “not made here” mentality.
Additionally: the proliferation of electronic media has made every brand and consumer transparent.
Thus, the three aforementioned developments are primary drivers of our reality today. Take the time now to consider your industry changes and innovations. In doing so, consider part of your offering and value proposition, products or services you might have previously seen as competition.
As a matter of fact, examine all relevant players in your offerings:
Suppliers,
Substitutes,
Complementors, and
Traditional competitors
Challenge yourself into thinking of all of these past rivals as potential partners in bringing customer benefits that are differentiated and value added.
5 Reasons Why
Lack of capital- you will not have enough resources to develop what someone might already offer.
Resource allocation – invest only in what makes you u n i q u e, outsource the rest, even to competition.
Brand amplification – leverage someone’s brand to give you instant credibility, recognition and differentiation.
Focus – keep your organization aligned, not chasing different frontiers (see my previous blog).
To better serve your customer!!!
Change your thinking as you go into 2010, you’ll be better for it.
As we turn into the last month of the year, marketeers are busy finishing lose ends on current projects and beginning 2010 initiatives. No doubt next year’s goals and objectives include a key word – “GROWTH.” But, strategically speaking, there’s a “good” way to grow and then there’s a “bad” way to grow. For the Marketeer, this usually leads to the everlasting balance between growth & discipline.
A “good” way to grow
Growth that is built on the strategic product positioning will lead to long-term growth. But that is the KEY; it must be built on the positioning. The trick then is to layer strategies and tactics that build on this positioning. This is really the idea behind value chains.
A good way to grow can also be found in separate branding. A brand stands for something or someone… if you want to grow beyond that, build another brand with a different positioning. But be very, very clear in your messaging, this is a completely separate product.
Yet another path to grow is through stronger communication of your differentiation. Another way to think about this is focus. Watch Growth through Focus by Al Ries (part 1 & part 2) – worth 15 minutes of your time.
A “bad” way to grow
Unfortunately we see many more examples of companies attempting to grow the “wrong” or “bad way,” which highly correlates to the failure rates of businesses. There are many failures to point to, but in my experience I’ve noticed a few mishaps reoccur:
The brand position is overstretched to the point that it becomes meaningless or confusing – can you say line extensions?
Core competencies are confused with strategy, particularly in companies led by operationally focused leaders.
Miscalculations of brand equity lead to brand dilution.
Pricing, rebates, bundling – same offense.
The examples are endless. Yet for marketeers, these maybe the “dirty little secrets.” Because in our efforts to grow our businesses, we turn to these short-term activities to make our number – but in the process we DIRTY our brands. Interestingly enough, once you head down this path, it’s addicting, furthering the potential to corrupt your brand.
7 Considerations for Marketeers
So what is a Marketeer to do when challenged to grow. I’d say that the first word that should come to your head should be DISCIPLINE.
Translate the growth challenge into a rallying cry for DISCIPLINED GROWTH by:
1. Building longer & deeper value chains based on your current positioning.
2. Fiercely guarding the strategic positioning of your brand, fending off short-term thinkers in your organization.
3. Develop separate or related branding schemes that capitalize on your brand but do not dilute it.
4. Reinforce your product’s differentiation in a deeper, stronger way.
5. Fine tune segmentation, less is more in this case.
6. Acquire products or build partnerships that have equity in the space you’re attempting to penetrate.
7. Have the courage to say “no” to strategies and tactics that will yield a short-term win, but a long-term disaster.
Yes, I know, this is easier said than done, that is why I call it D I S C I P L I N E, because it requires sacrifice and trade-offs. After 17 years of experience, I also know we all have done it at one point or another, hence, it is “the dirty little secret.”
Burger King to open new "bar" concept, serving alcohol... Hmm from Twitter2 weeks ago
I’ve been accused by Jeff R of “writer’s block” - based on my last tweet! A a 140-character medium stumped me… I guess it is Friday :) from Twitter2 weeks ago
Ramiro Roman
