New Persuasion

Creative Ideas for Advertising

Gareth Kay over at Brand New pointed me to this article from Campaign magazine about how today's advertising folk are missing the point on new ideas:

As Mother's Dylan Williams puts it: "Most of the stuff that inhabits popular culture starts from audience response and works back to an idea. We in advertising tend to start with our message and work outward. We are spending too much time on what we want to say, rather than what people want to hear. Maybe we should flip the traditional planning process. From message-out planning to audience-back strategy. Dispense with propositions and focus on more thoroughly understanding what people are into. Spielberg said he wanted to make everyone in a cinema feel joy. Then worked back to ET. What would we make if our development process worked this way around?"

The Chairman of Fallon London, Laurence Green, wrote the article.  He thinks that even when advertising is not for the Internet, it should be conceived as if it were:

And even when there is no strategic or executional online element to our
campaigns, we can still benefit from "thinking digital". Most simply by
asking: how can the consumer - or other parties - interact with, engage
with, or use our idea? Have we invited participation somehow, even if
our invite goes unanswered?

Advertising should start with the customer - not the product. 

The new normal

Hallmark is not usually a company associated with things that are hip and edgy.  They are more likely known for birthday cards you send your elderly aunt and graduation cards for your niece.
However, they seem to be trying to update their image a bit.  They have realized that there is a new "normal" in life.  Hallmark has a relatively new line of cards that are for:

Real people dealing with...and talking about...real stuff.  That's life in the "new normal".
It's maybe not what our mothers thought normal would look like.  But it's the way life really is today.

These cards cover topics such as having cancer, staying sober, being on a diet, getting divorced, being stressed, not being able to have children, and caring for aging parents.

Hallmark gets that life happens and isn't predictable.  These days life milestones are more than birthdays, graduations, births and marriages.  And good for Hallmark for recognizing "the new normal." 

Loyalty, Nascar style

Nascar racing fans are a breed like no other, especially when it comes to supporting the sponsors of their favorite drivers.  Nascar drivers are much more dependent and loyal to their sponsors than other athletes are to their sponsors.

If Tiger Woods were to lose a sponsor, his golf game probably wouldn't be affected very much.  However, if a NASCAR driver loses his sponsor, there is the very real possibility he won’t be racing until a new sponsor steps in.

After a big victory, a Nascar driver will immediately thank his sponsor, whereas Tiger would probably thank friends and family first.

And because fans feel so connected to their favorite drivers, they want to support what he supports.

A recent article states:

Fans feel they owe the sponsor something for providing them with the sport they love.  "It's the same mechanism as if someone buys you a  beer at the bar.  There's also the impulse, you're going to buy one back."
There are sponsors emblazoned on every car, jersey and piece of equipment. Everything from the gasoline the drivers put into their tanks to the memorabilia sold in the stores has a sponsor's branding.Corporate sponsorship in NASCAR will reach $2.9 billion this year, a 5.5 percent increase over 2005, according to the Associated Press. Companies continue to see value in the sport, largely because fans keep flocking to the sponsors.

Outside the races, the companies cross-promote with other NASCAR sponsors in order to increase fan appeal. Home Depot teamed with fellow NASCAR sponsor Coca-Cola to create an orange Powerade flavor in honor of Stewart.

Another study showed that:

89% of NASCAR fans believe, “When I see a NASCAR logo on something, I know it will be a quality product.”  And fans are three times as likely to try and purchase NASCAR sponsors’ products and services than a non-fan.

Sponsors of other sports would love to have this fan base and this much support.  Even though athletes are paid millions of dollars in endorsements, very few seem to create the buzz that Nascar sponsors do.  Why do you think that is?

Sign Spinners - Advertising as Spectacle

From New Persuasion Intern Megan Cifrino:

ABC World News ran a piece this week on a new kind of advertising that is catching on in cities across the nation.  People as young as high school age have combined street sign promotions with freestyle spinning and twirling.

They say that traditional advertising gets boring and eventually people become disinterested in the average billboard. However “sign spinners” as they call themselves are always pulling out new tricks and keeps their audience and customers engaged.

Aarrow Advertising runs boot camps which train employees’ new tricks and keep them in shape. They also patent new moves.  The more tricks that you learn and the more experience you have can raise your income. The starting salary is $10 an hours and they can make up to about ($30,000 to) $40, 000 a year.  Sign instructors can make about $40,000 to $70,000.   Tell me again where can I sign up!? 

Sign Spinning  is an odd mix of dance, cheerleading, juggling, martial arts and advertising.  It's actually a professional sport.  Another example that traditional advertising isn't getting through.  How long before there are spinning competitions? 

Look out for the sign spinners in a city near you. Arrow Advertising hits cities including San Diego; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas; Sacramento, Calif.; Phoenix; Raleigh and Durham, N.C.; and South Florida.  Just remember to keep your eyes on the road as well. Some cites feel they are so eye catching they’re hazardous to drivers and are banning these new age human promotions.

This YouTube video, Spinergy, will give you an idea of what the sign spinning world is all about:

Shop Happy

I rarely pay much attention to commercials on TV.  I have Tivo and skip through most of them or just flip the channels if watching TV live.  However, I keep seeing commercials for Bloom grocery stores and I am intrigued.  I have never been to one of their stores, only  because the closest one to my house is 15 miles away, but I really want to.   The commercial has a catchy jingle and their tag line is "Bloom, a different kind of grocery store.” 

Most people would probably list more things they dislike about going to the grocery store than things they like.   They're crowded, lines are long, selection is bad, produce isn't fresh, etc.  Bloom claims to be a grocery store designed by grocery shoppers for grocery shoppers.  What a novel idea.   Convenience and technology are the driving forces of how Bloom differentiates itself from other grocery stores.  A recent article explains:

Bloom emphasizes placing items logically so they're easy to find. For example, all breakfast items such as eggs, bacon and cereal are in one aisle. Non-food items such as dog food, paper products and cleaning supplies are on one side of the store. Food items are displayed together.  Frozen items are closer to the checkout section, so items won't melt before they're taken out of the store.  Bloom's shelves are lower than in the average supermarket, with the goal of ensuring products are easy to reach.  The guest services area at the front of the store offers a variety of convenient services for customers, including bill payment, copying and faxing, gift cards, money orders, hunting and fishing licenses, shipping of packages and Western Union services.

One of the biggest technology assets are the personal scanners that allow customers to scan items as they put items in their cart, thus alleviating long check out lines.

Key technologies include personal scanners and information kiosks. The personal, handheld scanners are located in a rack at the front of the store.  "You scan your card when you come into the store, then one of the scanners lights up," she said. "You take [the scanner], and you can scan and bag your groceries as you go through the store. Then when you check out, you simply hit "end of trip," scan your card, and it's automatically totaled. You just pay and go."  A random check may occur periodically to help ensure items are scanned in properly.  She emphasized that Bloom is "all about options" and customers can always go through the traditional checkout process with a cashier handling the transaction.  Customers can also prepare their shopping lists online at www.shopbloom.com, download them at the kiosk and print the lists by aisle location order.

I like that their logo is "shop happy."  It shows that they realize grocery shopping can be a pain and they are trying to make it a fun (or at least more fun) experience.  They are appealing to our emotions and realize our time is just as important as our money.   Customer service is emphasized, as are shopping options.  Has anyone been? I'd love to hear some first hand stories.

Is "Innovation" Meaningless?

Innovation is used so much anymore, it's lost all meaning.  A recent Business Week article pointed out that there seems to be...

"...A backlash against 'innovation' (and 'design') is now under way. The constant incantation of the I-word in advertising, marketing, and conferences threatens to undermine a key business movement..."

And this from Popular Science Editor Mark Jannot:

"...but I certainly think that creating something entirely new (invention) deserves at least as much respect as improving on something that already exists (innovation).  But somehow innovation is flashy, cutting edge, new millennium, while invention appears fusty and old-school - Alexander Graham Bell to innovation's Steve Jobs..."

A few months ago, here at McGinn MS&L, we looked at 408 print (newspapers and magazine) ads with the words "innovation" or "innovative" - because we noticed that it was being over-used to the point of becoming meaningless.  Turns out we were right.  Here are some quick findings:

• There were 102 different company advertisements that claim their company is innovative.  These ads were not for a product, but for the company itself.
• There were 14 watch ads that were "innovative."
• There are 9 cities and states that consider themselves innovative.
• Ten clothing companies used innovation - including Eddie Bauer, JoS. A. Bank and J.Crew.
• The top three phrases used were:

1. "Tradition of Innovation" - Firestone, Riedel, Serta, Movado, Blackpain Boutique
2. "Innovative Technology" - Ford, Goodyear, Casio, Pure Vision, Norilsk Nickel, Con-Air, Dell
3. "Innovative Design" - Ultra Vision, Samsung, Dell Toshiba, LG

This was by no means a scientific survey - everyone in the office was told to pull anything they saw for about two weeks.  But it is telling - trying to distinguish yourself by being "innovative" really is not going to work.  Everyone's innovative - which means no one is. 

Some examples:

Special thanks to Christina Scripps in our office for the numbers and findings.

How do you tell time?

What time is it? Believe it or not, how you find the answer to that question says something about your age.   Did you look at your watch? Or perhaps you looked at your ipod or blackberry?  A recent study by NPD Group found that 25% of people under age 25 no longer wear watches while at least 25% have never worn watches.   According to Simmons Research:

In 2000, watch sales among 18- to 24-year-olds reached nearly $1 billion in the USA; by 2005, sales had dropped 34%. Even among 35- to 49-year-olds, who spend the most on watches, sales decreased 28% over five years, from $2.4 billion to $1.7 billion.

As a result of all this, watch makers are having to market watches more as accessories and jewelry than actual timepieces.  They are having to adapt to today's society and update their products accordingly.   If they don't, sales of watches will only continue to decline.

Free stuff from Rachael Ray

The most bizarre thing happened to me this weekend and I'm still trying to figure it out.  If anyone has any insights, I'd love to hear them.

A mysterious package arrived on my doorstep Saturday afternoon.  It was addressed to me and the return address was "Everyday with Rachael Ray", Rachael Ray's relatively new magazine.  (I am a subscriber for those wondering how they got my name and address.)  I proceeded to open it and inside was a full size bag of Wheat Thins, hot tea bags, a Rachael Ray tote bag, body wash, a bunch of recipe cards and probably some other things I'm forgetting.  There was a note buried at the bottom saying it was from the magazine but no explanation as to why the box was sent.  Now, I'm not complaining and just like everyone else, I love getting free stuff, but I still can't figure it out.   Did they send these to every subscriber as a Thank You gift?  I don't think so as a colleague is also a subscriber and didn't receive a box.   

As a consumer, I'm loving it.  Free stuff delivered directly to my doorstep-- what's not to love? This makes me like Rachael Ray even more.  I subscribe to plenty of magazines and not once has anything like this ever happened.  Is this a new marketing gimmick?  Are the companies whose products were in the box hoping I'll sample their products and become a new customer?  I have no idea.  But, I like free stuff. And I'm talking about this mysterious box that appeared on my doorstep so I'm spreading the word about Rachael Ray.   As we've said before, society today is inundated with advertising and other information and it's hard to sort everything out, but this one definitely broke through the clutter and I took notice.

Marketing to Muslims in America

As we've discussed plenty of times before, our society is constantly changing and marketers and businesses also need to constantly change and evolve to keep up with their customer's needs and wants.

Along these lines, a recent article in the New  York Times really caught my eye. 

For years, few advertisers in the United States have dared to reach out to Muslims...That is beginning to change. Consumer companies and advertising executives are focusing on ways to use the cultural aspects of the Muslim religion to help sell their products...Grocers and consumer product companies are considering ways to adapt their goods to Muslim rules, which forbid among other things, gelatin and pig fat, which is often used in cosmetics and cleaning products.  Retailers are looking into providing more conservative skirts, even during the summer months, and mainstream advertisers are planning to place some commercials on the satellite channels that Muslims often watch.

Like many minority groups, Muslims tend to cluster in certain areas where there is an already established Muslim community.  Detroit is one such area and many national companies there have taken note and changed their products accordingly.

A McDonald’s there serves halal Chicken McNuggets; Walgreens has Arabic signs in its aisles. And now, Ikea, which recently opened a store in the suburb of Canton, Mich., that has had trouble  attracting as many Muslim customers as it had hoped, has been touring local homes and talking to Muslims to figure out their needs.

Certain Ikeas have designed and produced a 'hijab' – a Muslim headscarf - that would fit in with their current uniform for Muslim employees.

At the McDonalds that sells halal McNuggets, McNugget sales are about double the restaurant chain's average, and 65 percent of the orders are for the halal version.

The stats that really caught my eye and should be a red flag to marketing execs everywhere are that:

Muslim Americans spend about $170 billion on consumer products; this figure is  expected to grow rapidly as the population expands and younger Muslims build careers. Ignoring this group — estimated to be about five million to eight million people, and  growing fast — would be like missing the Hispanic market in the 1990s.

I think these numbers say it all.  This group is rapidly growing and yields extensive buying power.  Any company would be foolish to ignore it and think the Muslim community will be any less powerful in the years to come.  Companies like Ikea and McDonald's that have realized this trend will build customer loyalty and be a frontrunner in attracting this growing segment of the population.  We all know how large the Hispanic market of the 1990s has grown!   

One Muslim blogger definitely concurs:

So if you’re listening to me corporate America, I’m just letting you know that I’m willing to pay for Eid and Ramadan decorations. I want you to reach out to me and convince me to buy your products that have been tailored to my needs as a Muslim American woman.

GO Team!

We all know that guy (or gal): the one who paints his face on game day, is always wearing team colors, and has every sort of team merchandise the store sells. Well, maybe not every bit of merchandise.   York Heating and Cooling has recently announced a new way to show team spirit. 

In response to homeowners' growing interest in aesthetics and college
athletics, HVAC manufacturers have redesigned equipment to stylishly package
efficiency and performance features in units that will attract the attention
of homeowners.
    Last year, York Heating and Cooling introduced its all-new Affinity(TM)
series of air conditioners and heat pumps, offering homeowners something never
seen before in the industry -- color. (Affinity units are available in a
choice of seven colors -- standard Champagne or Terra-Cotta, Jet Black, Stone,
Bermuda, Chocolate or Gun-metal.) This year, the company offers loyal alumni
and sports fans condensing unit panels that bear the logo of prominent
colleges and universities.  The plan is to have 74 major
schools represented this year.  Currently, more than 45 college logos are
available.

This is a great example of personalization of everyday objects that really have no need to be personalized.  But, yet, a company has decided to go that extra mile and figure out a way to appeal to consumers that otherwise wouldn't know what they were missing.

Now be sure and tell your super-fan friend he's not a true fan until his HVAC matches his team colors. 

Buy with Text-Messaging

Why wait? Buy now! Consumers are beginning to have the ability to purchase products instantly without wasting time waiting on the phone, online or in lines. The new m-commerce company ShopText lets consumers make donations or buy products like CDs, DVDs, concert tickets or clothes by featuring a text-messaging code. Buy by text-messaging has now become a way to purchase products on the go.

Russell Kern, director of business development for Dennis Digital, the interactive division of Dennis Publishing, which publishes Stuff, said he saw great power in the technology.

"You're sitting in Central Park reading a magazine, and you have your phone with you, and you want information on a product or you want to purchase the product," he said. "The ability is right there."

The company is featured in magazines such as Cosmo Girl, Lucky and Stuff. 

To use the system, a consumer must set up a ShopText account with a shipping address and credit card account.

When ShopText receives text messages about donations or products, it charges the credit card it has on file for the buyer, then, if appropriate, sends the product from one of its warehouses around the country.

Text messaging has become a popular form of communication with 35 percent of U.S. cell phone users and 76 percent of 18-to 24-year-olds sending and receiving text messages according to Forrester Research.

It’s shopping made easy and convenient that is literally at your fingertips. Maybe it’s becoming too easy to buy something.

Can you hear it?

Have you heard the story about the mosquite ringtone?  Last year a British company developed a high pitched tone that most people over the age of 30 can't hear but teenagers have no problem hearing.  It was originally developed as a kind of teen-repellant to be used by stores who didn't want teens loitering around their establishments.  However, these same tricky teens came up with the idea to take that sound and make it a cell phone ring tone-- A ring tone that parents and teachers wouldn't be able to hear.   

Simon Morris, commercial director of Merthyr-based Mosquito manufacturer Compound Security, was amazed that children had turned the idea around.

He said, "It's staggering. The crazy thing is that it's the kids themselves who are using an idea designed to annoy them."

And, in a marketing twist, KFC used this same annoying ringtone to reign in customers.  KFC embedded a secret message using this tone into one of its commercials.

KFC is offering $10 Boneless Variety Bucket gift checks to the first 1,000 people who tell the Louisville, Ky.-based company, via its Web site, where the tone was embedded. It's just another way the company is working to keep viewers watching its ads.

Want to test your hearing?  Check it out here.

This just goes to show that you should never assume a product will only be used for its original purpose.  There are always ways to take something and make it better or use for a totally different purpose.  Creative teens took something they were supposed to dislike and turned it into something to be used to their advantage.  KFC took advantage of this and created a viral marketing campaign to appeal to younger audiences.  Teens loved it because it gave them an advantage over their parents.  And besides, who doesn't love free chicken? 

Free Chocolate!

Free and chocolate in the same sentence.  Those two words are bound to make you look twice.  As we all know, it is getting increasingly difficult for advertisers to get our attention.  It takes more creativity and outside-the-box-thinking than ever before to make an impression.

Thorntons, a chocolate company in Britain, seems to have broken through some of that clutter by designing the world's first edible billboard, made entirely of chocolate.

The Easter creation, a world first, was made of 10 chocolate bunnies, 72 giant chocolate eggs and 128 chocolate panels, each weighing 2kg.   

The 860 pound chocolate billboard only lasted five hours after shoppers and passers by ate the giant chocolate 3D Easter eggs and model bunnies.  (click below to see larger picture)

2007 Trends Part 1

It's already March, but I'm finally getting around to reading all the 2007 trends/prediction/idea posts I saved.  I'm going to cover them for the next week or so.  What I like best about predictions is not whether they come true or not - it's how they get you thinking down a path you might never have gone to on your own.

I'll start with one of the most thoughtful, idea-driven blogs out there: Influx Insights.  Here are their predictions for 2007 - in no particular order.

1. Hordes of "Borat" imitators over-run adland
2. Skaters and surfers adopt country club apparel as their signature looks are further co-opted by Hot Topic et al
3. Trans fat ban spreads from New York across the country, transforming the way Americans eat
4. Race returns to the forefront of the popular consciousness after several decades lurking in the shadows
5. Sports teams and leagues start to build and practice game strategies on Second Life
6. McDonalds comes out with McOrganic Meal
7. RyanAir partners with JetBlue
8. 24 hour fitness partners with wii
9. itunes launches a concert tour
10. YouTube starts charging the networks to place their content
11. A global ad agency joins forces with a media company to form a new content hot shop
12. Ask A Ninja signs a 3-year deal with Comedy Central
13. Bloggers will be legible for the Pulitzer Prize in 2008
14. XM and Sirius merge
15. The Gap partners with a leading French design house
16. Pitchfork launches a magazine
17. Companies test their advertising using internal prediction markets
18. Hollywood studio agrees to a $100 million budget for the 17-year old winner of their consumer-generated content competition
19. A Second Life avatar has a No1 hit
20. Home Depot joins forces with Whole Foods to create the first sustainable home improvement store
21. Flickr takes over New York's Central Park for the "People's Photo Show"
22. Best Buy launches an electronics store for kids 

My favorite is #20 - the first sustainable home improvement store.  This has real potential.  And I do think there will be money paid out for CGM - maybe not $100 million - but good money.

And Influx writes that some of their predictions have already come through:

...we are going to set up a Prediction Watch. Let us know if you see any of our predictions come true. So far a few already have:

#3 - Trans fat ban spreads. Starbucks has begun ridding their inventory of trans fat - most stand alone stores in major cities have already made the move. They started with their seasonal pumpkin muffins and gingerbread cookies (And yesterday, Maryland officials announced they are considering a bill to ban trans fat from public eateries.)

#14 - XM and Sirius are about to merge.

Good stuff.

Interesting, Random and Mysterious

Jon Howard-Spink over at Living Brands writes On the Importance of Being Interesting:

...if you're interesting, thought provoking, difficult and challenging; if you leave people to self complete rather than giving them the whole story, they will think about you afterwards. And the more they think, the more your brand is embedded in their brain.

What got Jon thinking about what makes a story or a person interesting was this video called Interestingness from Jeffre Jackson of The Open Intelligence Agency.  If you do nothing else today, take 5 minutes to watch this - not just for the verbal content (which is interesting to say the least) but also for the visual way he illustrates his points.

The absolute, best parts:

...Being interesting, being worth thinking about means being worth playing with, being worth communicating, not just with the brand holder but also with other people in a community of brand engaged people.

...actually being interesting often involves elements that are unexplained, and in fact when you talk to kids they often use the word random in a very positive way, "that's so random can often mean, "I don't understand it but boy is it interesting....

Advertising is changing - no doubt about it.  But it has to be interesting and spark curiousity or wonder or exploration.  And I like how Jeffre says to be interesting doesn't mean you have to be liked. 

(original link via Henry Lambert at :trends: )

Viral Web Marketing Tips

I love it when people say "let's make a viral video!"  I cringe and say, "Well, you can make a video, but the viral part is sort of out of your control."  Puzzled looks follow.  We can only hope that something goes viral - we can't force it.  That's why I was glad to find this article by Thomas Baekdal - he gives seven tips on viral web marketing that are smart, practical and true - and he provides video examples.  In a nutshell:

1. Make people feel something.  The most important trick of all is to create a very strong emotion.
2. Do something unexpected ...and above all - never be a copycat.
3. Do not try to make advertisements (that sucks) One of the biggest mistake companies make is when they think viral marketing is just advertisements that people share - it is not.
4. Make sequels People have just seen your campaign. They think it was interesting, unexpected and their emotions has reached a high level - you have their complete attention. Now what do you do? If you do like most companies you will simply do nothing... and that is a big mistake.
5. Allow Sharing, downloading and embedding´ Sharing is what viral marketing is all about.
6. Connect with comments Another important element is to connect with your audience. Remember you got their attention, they are excited and now they want talk.
7. Never restrict access! Viral marketing is also about your campaign getting a life on its own - spreading like virus. In order to do that, in order to become "viral", it needs to be free.

I'd like to add #8 - that viral videos have no rules and there will be viral videos certain to come along that break some, if not all, of these guidelines.

I recommend reading the whole article where Baekdal delves more deeply into this list.  And you can also watch his many video examples.

The Borat Ate the Cheese

Here at New Persuasion, we have a category called Saturation Generation, which, simply put, means we are inundated all the time with information, ideas, credit card applications, and just plain stuff.  It was the subject of Barry Schwartz's book, The Paradox of Choice:  Why More is Less.  Basically he said too many choices left us dissatisfied and unhappy customers.  So with that intro, I want to show you the greatest example of over-saturation I've come across in pop culture - a deleted scene from the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America --

Thanks to Influx Insights for the link. 

Chevy and Livin' Large

First off I have to tell you that Chevy and GM are clients of The McGinn Group and I sometimes work with these clients (when I'm not writing this blog or reading or thinking or otherwise trying to get out of client work).  And I will say that I was involved  in trying to get bloggers to write about this campaign. 

Chevy's had their problems with consumer generated media - the Tahoe campaign anyone, anyone?  Though Chevy folk shudder when you bring this up, I have to say that I think they earned respect and brownie points for keeping the negative ads up on the site.  And what I like about Chevy is that they keep trying.  (I get knocked down, but I get up again...)  They've got their Super Bowl commercial thing going on with college students, and this week they're running a different sort of campus challenge centered around the Chevy Aveo. 

I love this challenge - 7 teams at 7 colleges are living in their aveo for a week (I know, shades of that guy living in his Nissan Sentra - but Chevy's been working on this for a long time so we'll never know who had the idea first).  They can only leave the car for classes and what Chevy politely  calls "bio-breaks" - what,  no Johnny on the Spot?

I'll give you my reasons (not in order of importance but in order they pop into my head):

• The website is cool.  It's modern yet retro - how do graphic designers do that?
• The students are running the campaign.  The student teams have to perform tasks and challenges and try to get as many people to vote for them as possible.  Chevy's put the campaign in their hands. 
• It's CGM/New Media- these students are writing blogs for the website, and there are webcams in and out of the cars to catch the action 24/7.  From Boston University's Jamie and Allison's blog this morning:

OH MY GOD!

Everyone GO LOOK AT THE FRONT PAGE OF THE BOSTON METRO!!  There's a HUGE picture of us on the FRONT PAGE under the headline "GIRLS GONE WILD."  :)  The picture is from the Daily Challenge yesterday when everyone put their hands on the car.  IT'S SO FUNNY, GO LOOK!!

• It's live, It's real, it's entertaining - I mean the Northwestern University students got the drumline to come over and perform - most excellent.
• It has a good cause element built in -  the students on each campus are also trying to generate publicity for their favorite causes - like HIV/AIDS Awareness - and the team from USC (if they win) plans to cash in their cars and donate the  money to the Adom Partnership, for children in Africa.
• It's Local - Chevy is working with the Public Relations Student Society of America and their campus chapters to ensure that each team tailored their efforts to their local community.  Great idea.

Fun, funny, at times moving - it's a great campaign. Kind of blends pr, advertising and marketing.  Look in and vote for your favorites is all I can say.  I'm personally rooting for Gerald & Evita  from Howard University, since it's in D.C. and that's my town.

And here's the video that Dolce and Anna from USC made to get into the contest:

Red Rover and Customer Relationships

Pete Blackshaw at Consumer Generated Media has a great post today, and a related article , about how today's companies need to "open up":

"Take the idea of opening up literally: open the brand door and put out a friendly welcome mat. Make every consumer who knocks on the door feel important and empowered. Co-create a response in the form of an answer, an acknowledgment, a thank you, a solution, or, in some cases, a form of compensation for their willingness to share their ideas and suggestions with you. Do this even if there's a wee bit of incremental cost in making the effort. Trust me, it's more efficient than the way we throw paid media at consumers, and it targets efficiently against influencers.

"...we must reengineer the way we think about existing listening pipes, whether we call it "contact us," customer service, the call center, online chat, or even the "tell me what you think" button. Marketers consistently give this short shrift or punt it over to the attention-reduction operations department, almost as though consumer empowerment begins and ends with a marketing campaign. We should start to think about consumer affairs as new centerpiece of marketing."

Consumer affairs as the centerpiece of marketing?  You better believe it.  Building friendships and family with customers IS where the advertising, public relations and marketing money should be spent.  Period.

Lots of companies are making it possible for consumers to participate - but once the consumer participates, who at the company is listening and doing something with it?  Companies have yet to realize how valuable this customer participation is.  It's like saying "Red Rover, Red Rover, send your cgm over!" and then never ever letting the cgm breakthrough and be part of the team.  Not a very fun game when it's played that way.

Brand Characters Aren't What They Used To Be

According to The Hartford Courant, the Jolly Green Giant is old-school. But the Geico Gecko is where it's at:

"Perhaps the most self-aware of the brand characters, the Gecko speaks openly of his celebrity role and plainly acknowledges that his job is to get people to buy Geico insurance. While Mr. Clean would likely balk at identifying himself as a pitchman, the Gecko is happy to."

It's just another example of what I called in this August post the Nudge Nudge Wink Wink Factor. Customers, viewers, audience members - whatever you call them - don't mind an old-fashioned story, or brand character - as long as you tell them that you know they know what you're up to.  (wow-that sounds like Maxwell Smart talking). 

It also turns out there is a company in Oregon, Character, "that specializes in developing and reviving brand characters."  Is that genius or what? They are getting paid to hold character camps - 3 day retreats to develop the "brand character's story."

I can only conclude that at the same time we're getting smarter and more sophisticated about advertising, we're getting goofier and sillier about what we'll accept from advertisers.   

Judging Creativity

One of my favorite blogs is Logic + Emotion, Digitas Creative Director David Armano's personal blog.  He recently wrote about his son Max's coloring technique.  As you see from the picture, Max's teacher wrote: "Good!  Try Staying in the lines."  Which got David thinking:

Now, I understand that kids need to learn how to color in the lines.  It teaches them basic coordination and concentration.  But what does it teach them about themselves?  What does it teach them about skills that might serve them well one day in the real world?

Couldn't there be an assignment in addition to coloring shapes that maybe included handing them blank sheets of paper and asking them to invent and name a shape that no one has ever heard of before?  Maybe some kid would come up with a Sqoval, or a Tri-square, or even an Octocircle.  Who knows?  The point is that we do need to be taught to do things like coloring shapes at a young age, but shouldn't we also be taught how to invent, create and look at problems from a totally different perspective?

This is one area that sets creative people off.  Do not tell me to stay in the lines, because if you do I'll deliberately run right over them.  And isn't this also what happens between creatives in any field (advertising, television, writing, etc...) and their clients?  So Max is learning that for this assignment he needs to do X.  And his Dad argues that perhaps Max needs another assignment where he can do Y & Z too.  And isn't this what happens in the real world?  We save our big idea for another client, another time. 

And all this reminds my of my very favorite Peanuts strip featuring Sally and her "C" grade on a coat hanger art project.  I can't find the strip to show you but here's what she wondered:

• Was I judged on the piece of sculpture itself?  If so, is it not true that time alone can judge a work of art? 
• Or was I judged on my talent?  If so, is it right that I be judged on a part of life over which I have no control?
• If I was judged on my effort, then I was judged unfairly for I tried as hard as I could! 
• Was I judged on what I had learned about this project?  If so, then were not you, my teacher, also being judged on your ability to transmit your knowledge to me?  Are you willing to share my ‘C’? 
• Perhaps I was being judged on the quality of the coat hanger itself out of which my creation was made.  Is this also not unfair?  Am I to be judged by the quality of coat-hangers that are used by the dry-cleaning establishments that returns our garments?  Is that not the responsibility of my parents?  Should they not share my ‘C’?”

Which just shows you how hard it is to grade creativity. 

Okay, So Advertising is Not Dead

Jake McKee, of Community Guy blog, wrote a comment to my post the other day about advertising not being needed.  I thought it was so good I should post about it today.  Here it is:

OK, I'm the first to admit and agree that advertising in the future will be something radically different than it's been in the past. But at the same time, there'll always be a place for it in some form.

Think about what "advertising" really means. At its heart it's about getting a core message out. While users are unquestioningly smart and companies are often dumb, that doesn't mean that turning the keys over to users actually works. Think about where digital music (and movies) would be without Apple's push (and advertising) of the iPod. Probably as far along as it was pre-iPod.

We need to stop thinking that advertising is gone. Even if push messaging disappears, then we'll need a collection method for all the ideas coming from consumers. We'll need a method of getting user and company involvement in selecting most popular ideas. Someone's going to have to tell others about those efforts. That's advertising.

But the funniest thing is that as we get more options, we tend to want less. Read the social customer manifesto - one of the points is that we don't want advertising/sales pitches....unless they're relevant and then we want them yesterday.

The question is not whether we'll have advertising, it's what will advertising look like.

He's so right - and I think advertising will morph into a service for people rather than the interruption it is now.  Saying advertising is dead is really my lazy way of getting attention  (of advertising my message).  I actually wrote a post called Advertising is Going Through Menopause a long time ago - and I still think  what I said is true.  Thanks Jake.

No Need for Advertising

Dave Winer on product development and how advertising eventually not be needed:

The current product development process, that focuses on a few supposed geniuses and ignores the intelligence that's in the user's minds..Think about it. There's a big trend here, imho it's the difference between the 20th and 21st centuries. In the past the flow of ideas for products was heavily centralized, and based on advertising to build demand. In the future, the flow of ideas for products will happen everywhere, all the time, and products with small markets will be worth making because we'll be able to find the users, or more accurately, they'll be able to find us. "Targeting" customers is the wrong metaphor for the future. Instead make it easy for the people who lust for what you have to find you. How? 1. Find out what they want, and 2. Make it for them and 3. Go back to where you found out about it, and tell them it's available.

Winer's words stuck in my mind as I read this article in Slate on Stephon Marbury's $15 Starbury shoe line at cheap apparel retailer Steve & Barry's:

...Steven Shore and Barry Prevor have managed to undercut Wal-Mart and Target by scoring great deals from landlords at crappy malls, buying directly from overseas, and offering only house brands. The result: absurdly low prices...And unlike Nike and Foot Locker, Steve & Barry don't advertise. Spike Lee certainly won't be making any high-concept ads for the Starbury One, and Stephon will have to help hustle the goods himself (Marbury vs. Madison Avenue). But these days, fantastic word-of-mouth can be as valuable as a multimillion-dollar ad campaign. And Starbury certainly has that.

So Steve& Barry have found their niche.  Now we just have to find ours.

Lego Knows Their Customers

  Jake McKee writes about The Power of One on his Community Guy blog (thanks to Church of the Customer blog for the link).  Jake attended Brickfest 2006 - where lego enthusiasts gather - here in D.C. last weekend.  And he left there impressed with Lego's efforts towards it's customers.

• There were 30 LEGO employees there and 400 attendees - not a bad ratio.
• LEGO announced production of a train set that is based solely on fan designs. The box will contain parts and instructions enough to create 30 different models. Each of these (plus the other 50 that weren't chosen to be in the box) will be posted for individual purchase on LEGO Factory.
• There were open meetings between employees - some upper management - and fans. 
• One woman asked the CEO how she could help get more lego products in Singapore, and told him that she represented a whole community of LEGO fans willing to help.  She had already been turned down cold by the local LEGO office.  The CEO told her:  "I'm actually going to be in Singapore next week. Would you be able to join me when I meet with that office so we can work it out?" The audience went wild. By the end of the event, they had arranged a meeting time. The CEO, the leadership of LEGO Singapore, and a fan.

LEGO gets that their products are about their customers.  And they've given their customers a place at the table, and even let them in the kitchen.  This is the way companies must learn to operate today.  Surrender some control, maintain your connections, stay open - and you'll sell your product.

This Time it was Personal

I am a large woman.  How large?  Well, big enough to do most of my clothes shopping online.  I buy most of my clothes from a company called Junonia.  I've been buying clothes from them for about 3 years or so.  From time to time I get an email from them announcing a sale, and sometimes I check it out and sometimes I buy something. 

But last week I got something that surprised me.  Someone actually paid attention to what I buy.  And what I buy are always the longer shirts.  I don't buy short shirts.  Well, this email said they knew I liked the long shirts, and they had packaged all the long shirts (old and new) on one page for me to look at.  For some reason I was stunned....and pleased.  They noticed me. 

I clicked through to their site and ended up buying a bunch of new clothes.  And of course being the opposite girl that I am, I bought some shorter cotton cardigans just to keep 'em guessing. 

I did appreciate the fact that they proved they're paying attention.  It's stupid not to.

MINI in a Committed Relationship with Customers

I've always thought that companies should pay more attention to existing customers.  It's something I hate about cellphone contracts.  As soon as I sign up, I get no more good deals on phones, any change is hard to make, yada, yada, yada.  Seems like Verizon Wireless is only interested in getting new customers not keeping the ones they already have.   And I've said it before - today it's about establishing and maintaining a relationship and connection with your customer for the long term. 

So it's with glee that I read MINI goes to great lengths to keep in touch with their existing customers.  First there are secret ads for MINI owners.  Brent from Everything's Better with Brentter explains:

Every MINI owner was mailed a little black box containing a book entitled, “A Dizzying Look At The Awesomeness of Small.” At the end of the book is a “secret” compartment hiding a few gadgets that are meant to be used with upcoming advertisements. One of them happens to be the magic window decryptor capable of showing us the secret text. The hidden message drives the user(no pun intended) over to a Citizens for Fair Insect Treatment website. From there the user can click on a couple funny features of the site, ultimately leading them to yet another site which is part of the MINI Take The States promotion. Overall I thought this was a crafty way of making the MINI owner feel like he/she is part of a community. ..Also included in the MINI “spy kit” are two other decoders - some red tinted glasses and the “super secret decoder” (a card with holes cut at strategic points).

And Autoblog reports on the MINI takes the States rally going on now:

So, a total of 3,347 MINIs are taking part in a multiple-stage road trip across America...The two-week celebration o