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Monthly Archives: April 2011
Memo to Walmart CEO Mike Duke: Thanks For Nothing.
Recognizing that American consumers are “under renewed economic pressures”, Walmart CEO is confident that his scenario “could work in Walmart’s favor.”
In short, what’s bad for consumers could be good for Walmart. What a lovely and empathetic sentiment.
Mr. Duke, I wish you could be poor enough for one month to know what it feels like to run out of cash at the end of the month, as you so accurately portray the condition of the average Walmart customer. Do you really think that people who don’t have enough money for gas actually have enough money to shop at Walmart?
Maybe you didn’t mean what you said. Or maybe you didn’t mean it the way it came out. Or maybe you weren’t thinking clearly considering your audience (attendees of the Barclays Capital Retail & Restaurants Conference on Tuesday). I understand that you are a businessman and that your priority goals involve sales and profitability, but dude, show a little compassion.
If you really want to attract more customers to Walmart for all their shopping, and you want to ease their financial pressures, install a few Walmart gas pumps that offer a free gallon of gas for every $20 spent on Walmart products.
In America we call that “give and take.”
Memo to the Greedy Business Owners: Distressed Consumers Need Relief.
The past half decade has been brutal for many – if not most – consumers. The economy has either cost them their job or denied them pay increases essential to keep up with rising expenses. Meanwhile, taxes continue to increase, the cost of staple goods continues to increase and the value of what little consumers own has plummeted. In the meantime, mother nature has dealt the global population a non-stop smackdown that includes hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, blizzards and droughts that have devastated lives. Then there are the wars and the oil spills and the Bernie Madoffs of the world.
Nearly 15% of Americans are living below the poverty line. The number of people in poverty reached its highest level in 51 years. Median annual household income is below $50,000.
Consumers are under daily distress… and they need a break. Product manufacturers and service providers who can figure out how to ease their pain and minimize their anxiety in thoughtful, sincere and meaningful ways, have a unique opportunity to establish relationships that could last a lifetime.
On the other hand, greedy, thoughtless business leaders – let’s use the NFL owners, players and agents as an example – will reap what they sew. During the 2010 season, the minimum salary for rookies on active NFL rosters was $285,000. For rookies on practice squads, the minimum salary was $88,000… and these are the lowest salaries. Billions and billions of dollars being fought over in public by greedy, selfish men who could not care less about the consumers who create all that money for them.
Perhaps they are confident that history will repeat itself and fans will come flocking back to support their opulent lifestyles… willing to forgive and forget without consequences. Maybe.
But I wouldn’t bet on it.
From Sick Bags to Condoms, Royal Wedding Swag Goes Overboard
Less than 24 hours until the Royal Wedding. But many product manufacturers have been hard at work hoping to get some attention and to cash in on the world’s obsession with Prince William and Kate. You can pretty much find it all from hand sanitizer to refrigerators, tea bags and nail polish.
Here are the most obscure products.
1. GE Refrigerator: This by far has to be the strangest product. Certainly GE was doing this more as a publicity stunt than to generate cash flow. Who would want Prince William and Kate’s engagement picture as a permanent fixture in their kitchen.
2. Prince William and Kate Tea Bags: The Brits are known for their tea, but this is a little over the top with Kate holding money. But if you are waking up at 4 a.m. tomorrow to host a Royal Wedding party, this would be a necessity.
3. Crown Jewels Condoms: According to the website:
To celebrate the engagement of Prince William of Wales to Ms. Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, Crown Jewels Condoms of Distinction has commissioned a unique heritage edition Royal Wedding Souvenir boîte de capotes.
Combining the strength of a Prince with the yielding sensitivity of a Princess-to-be, Crown Jewels condoms promise a royal union of pleasure. Truly a King amongst Condoms.
4. Nail Polish: Butter London nail lacquer in “No More Waity Katie”.
5. Cardboard Cutout: In the event the GE refrigerator wasn’t enough, get a life size cardboard cut out of the couple. These actually sold out on Amazon with a note that states “We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.” What a shame!
6. Lip Gloss and Hand Sanitizer: “Kissed by a Prince” lip gloss (gold flecked) and “Royal Pucker” hand sanitizer (grape scented) are actually pretty fun. Get them at your local Bath & Body Works.
7. Royal Wedding Sick Bags: For those of you who are sick of hearing about the Royal Wedding, this one is for you!
8 Ways to Determine a Blog’s Value
You probably have a good sense for which trade and consumer publications are most influential in your industry and among consumers. But with blogs, it’s not so cut and dry.
How do you know which blogs to target and which blogs to send product to? Following are eight ways to evaluate a blog’s reach and influence among your target audiences.
1. Traffic. Some bloggers tell you right on their home page or about page exactly how many daily, weekly and monthly visitors they receive. If not, or to verify those figures, use a free tool like compete.com or quantcast.com to get a traffic estimate. Also, review a blogger’s social media extensions (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) to determine how many more people he or she is reaching when they link posts to social media sites.
Just as important as visitors is the number of other sites linking back to the blog. The more external links a blog has the more credible a blog is. Visit technorati.com and enter the blog’s URL to find its authority, or number of links directing back to the blog.
2. Page Rank. Use the free page rank checker tool at http://www.prchecker.info/ to determine where Google ranks the blog on a scale from 1-10. Blogs that fall into the 3-7 range are ranked pretty well. Most blogs will not achieve a ranking of 8-10, which is reserved for sites like nytimes.coma and google.com.
3. Engagement. Review recent posts to determine if readers are commenting often, and if the blogger is taking the time to respond back. The value of blog coverage is it has the potential to spark a conversation. A blog that actively engages readers has more potential to make an impact and influence industry trends and opinions, and its readers are more invested.
4. Frequency. The more often a blogger posts, the more often readers are coming back and the more potential your story has to be seen. It is also very common for new bloggers to lose interest and stop posting all together, but leave their blogs up. Do not target blogs that have not had a new post in more than a month.
5. Depth. Truly influential bloggers don’t just regurgitate facts and news releases; they offer insight and commentary on the story or issue at hand. Target bloggers who take the time to write an original post; your story will have a much deeper and longer lasting impact.
6. Visibility. Do a quick search to determine how involved a blogger is within your industry. Have they penned guest columns or op-eds for influential media, given keynotes or sat on panels at industry trade shows/conference, led or participated in social media events and advocacy? Active bloggers who participate regularly in industry events are perceived as experts and can bring credibility to your brand.
7. Ethics. Without exception, bloggers should be in clear compliance with recently updated FTC rules and regulations. (Read our blog post for a more detailed explanation of guidelines that affect bloggers.) Do not waste time or energy on blogs that do not clearly disclose product review/advertising relationships; otherwise you may face legal consequences for a blogger’s unethical behavior.
8. Competitive/Big Brand Presence. Has the blog covered your competitor? What about well-known national brands? These companies are targeting this blog for a reason; they see value in securing coverage there.
Need help developing a strategic blogger relations campaign to achieve greater visibility for your product or service? Contact me at kayleigh (at) sweeneypr (dot) com. or 440.333.0001 ext. 105 to get started.
How Many Followers Does It Take to Screw in a Lightbulb?
We are a nation obsessed with numbers and crowds. It is all about volume. How many impressions did you make? How many unique visitors came to the site? How many click-thrus did you score? How many followers do you have? How many Likes do you have?
Funny thing is, as obsessed as we are with numbers when it comes to traditional media, we are not nearly as concerned about the numbers with social media. Why is that?
If we are talking TV, you must not only provide Nielsen and/or Arbitron data that confirms the number of viewers, but those numbers MUST BE HUGE. Same with radio, same with newspapers, same with magazines. If you are not reaching hundreds of thousands – or millions – then what’s the point?
Even You Tube is judged by its huge volumes. No one cares about a video until it reaches the magical one million views mark. Anything less than that is just a video.
But Twitter and Facebook get a pass. Why is that?
Maybe the numbers are not all that important. Instead it is about the connection and the engagement and the dialogue or conversation. But if that’s true, if it is not about the numbers, then why is everyone so obsessed about increasing their numbers? I was on the Terracyle website the other day (I love this company) and they actually had a link at the top of their home page asking people to friend them. In high school we called that pathetic. I mean, who pleads with people to be their friends or worse, bribes them? And what value do these types of “followers” have? That’s like driving 10,000 visitors to a website with a misleading PPC ad and getting a 98% bounce rate… not exactly useful.
I’m just saying.
Earth Day Promos Put Green Back in Consumers’ Pockets
Earth Day has certainly become more commercial since it was first celebrated on April 1970. Now companies, retailers and associations are all taking part. When done well, an Earth Day promotion can certainly help increase brand awareness and loyalty.
Check out a few Earth Day promotions that are engaging consumers AND putting a few greens back their pockets.
National Parks: Get into the 394 National Parks for free on Earth Day.
Starbucks and Caribou: Get a free basic coffee/tea at both retailers when you bring your own reusable mug.
Origins: Bring an empty cosmetic container to your local store and get a free full-size Origins cleanser.
Office Depot: Bring a used writing utensil for vouchers off new merchandise. The used pencils, pens and markers will be sent to TerraCycle, which will turn them into new office supplies.
Radioshack: Get a chance to win an eco-friendly car. When you trade in and recycle used electronic devices, you’ll be entered into the drawing for an electric Nissan LEAF and receive money off a new product.
Disney Stores: Bring five plastic bags to a local Disney store and get a free usable tote.
Lowe’s: Is giving away a million trees.
What is your company doing to support Earth Day? Spread the word and share your campaign/promotion in the comments section.
5 People You Need to Follow on Twitter – NOW!
With all the talk and advice out there on what companies should be posting on Twitter, get back to the roots of social media and start by listening. Following are five categories of people that will give you the most insight on what you should be communicating about on Twitter and in other social media channels.
1. Trade Media. Many publications have branded Twitter accounts dedicated to disseminating breaking news. Pick the top outlets covering your industry and pay attention to what they tweet to get insight on current events and trends. Use this information to develop relevant content for the media and your social media sites.
2. Employees. Employees dealing daily with customers, vendors, co-workers and entrenched in industry news can provide first-hand knowledge about the small details that make your business tick. Also, you’ll want to ensure employees are following any company social media guidelines and not sharing trade secrets.
3. Competitors. Whether or nor they are doing a good job on Twitter, you need to know how and what your competitors are communicating. Follow competitors to study their Twitter strategy, and then track correlating changes in their Twitter followers, Facebook fans, website traffic (compete.com is free) and media coverage to determine what works and what doesn’t. Learn from someone else’s mistakes, and improve on their successful strategies.
4. Customers. Finding your customers on Twitter may not be as straightforward as identifying a media outlet or competitor. But you can use Twitter search and other key word tracking tools to identify the most frequent users of your products and services.
Also, you can import email addresses from your customer database and have Twitter do the work finding their Twitter names for you, or ask customers for their Twitter handle when appropriate. The key is to listen to what they are saying beyond commenting on your company. Find out what is important to them and use that information to drive new product development, contests, customer rewards programs, etc. And when they ask you a question, compliment you or even complain… respond.
5. Industry Experts. This can include leading journalists, industry bloggers, well-known professionals and self-proclaimed experts in your industry. Start by casting a wide net, but then trim the list down to a few who provide the most insightful commentary and who share the most detailed and current industry information.
These are people who already know how to generate compelling conversation. Study their technique and then use your own expertise to start a conversation or provide a different viewpoint on one that is in full swing.
Need help developing your social media strategy? Contact me at kayleigh at sweeneypr dot com or 440.333.0001 ext. 105.
You Don’t Need a New Product to Get Media Coverage: 6 Ways to Get Existing Products in the News
Media are always on the hunt for new products they know readers will love; and some will even refuse to cover anything other than brand new products from a strict “product review” perspective. But just because your company is not launching a new product this year is no excuse to not reach out to media and get your fair share of media coverage.
Following are six strategies to get coverage for your product, no matter how old or new it is.
1. Dial into a new or resurfacing trend. Do a bit of research and identify a hot trend consumer and media are already talking about. Find a way to tie your existing product into the story.
2. Take a seasonal approach. Do you notice a spike in sales or website traffic during a specific time of year? Pitch your product as a solution for a specific need during a holiday, special event or seasonal change. Not sure exactly where your product fits? Check out this detailed listing of daily, weekly and monthly holidays from national car care to grilled cheese month: http://www.brownielocks.com/
3. Use customer feedback to identify new uses for your product. Document customer testimonials and consider issuing a brief survey polling customers on their favorite way to use your product. Then, package the most unusual and ingenious uses into a pitch to educate media and readers about more ways they can put your product to work.
4. Share advice. Provide a list of tips and inside advice on a topic related to your brand or product, and ensure at least one tip offers your product as a solution. Have an all purpose cleaner? Provide tips for preventing and cleaning up the toughest household messes. The stranger and stickier, the better.
5. Align with a cause. If you have the budget to make a sizeable donation or produce specialty product packaging in support of a charitable cause, this is something you can promote to media. Otherwise, use your product as a means to bring attention to a cause you are passionate about. For example, a company that produces a yoga product can educate media on the health benefits of yoga and how easy it is for anyone to try.
6. Pose a challenge. Does your product always outperform a leading competitor, or does it just do something you have to see to believe? Get media excited by posing a challenge and offering them the chance to participate using your product – make sure you provide a product sample if they accept.
Need help securing media coverage for your company or products? Contact me at kayleigh at sweeneypr dot com or 440.333.0001 ext. 105.
First Lady’s “Joining Forces” Campaign Propaganda or Sincere Outreach?
I had the opportunity to attend the “Joining Forces” campaign spearheaded by the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden at Camp Lejeune. Joining Forces is a new national initiative that mobilizes all sectors of society (from neighbors to schools and businesses) to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned.
I was a little leery going into it that this was basically a dog and pony show to get military family support for the Obama camp, but didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to see the First Lady. As we
crowded into a gym full of Marines and other family members and patiently waited more than 2.5 hours for the event to start, I contemplated if I was actually going to get more out of this than a few pictures of Michelle Obama.
Having a son in the service, Dr. Jill Biden was immediately able to make a connection with the crowd, understanding first hand how difficult it is when a loved one is deployed.
But Michelle Obama really surprised me. Having never experienced the emotional rollercoaster of deployment, she was able to relate to the crowd and sincerely articulate why this campaign is so important. Her passion for the campaign and for us present was truly evident.
In fact, there are already programs in motion that provided credibility for the campaign:
• The Chamber of Commerce will hold hiring fairs for veterans and military spouses in 100 communities over the next year.
• Indeed.com is launching Indeed Military, an online service to help military families find work.
• Best Buy’s Geek Squad will host seminars at 17 military installations on staying connected with deployed family members through technology.
• Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club will guarantee a job at a new location for existing employees who must move because a military spouse is transferred.
• The YMCA and other partners will provide free summer camp for thousands of military children and families in 35 states this summer.
• Educational groups will bring to high schools with a high percentage of military families more Advanced Placement classes and courses in science, technology, engineering and math.
Having been through 6 deployments myself, it became clear that this wasn’t just some smoke and mirrors campaign, but something tangible that hopefully military family members from around the country will experience some positive difference.
And what I loved best about it (as with any good marketing campaign), was there was a clear call to action. Support our military members and support their families. From a simple thank you to a military member or their family to organizing local appreciation events to getting businesses involved, everyone can do something.
You can learn more about the campaign at JoiningForces.gov.
Low Prices. Every Day. On Everything. Indeed.
What does Walmart suddenly know that no one else seems to know? At a time when traditional retail sales are struggling to even stay in the shadows of online sales, Walmart has decided to increase its base of SKUs with more than 8,500 products it had previously removed from its already cluttered and overstocked shelves.
One might rightly ask: What’s up with that? Does Walmart suddenly care about its customers? I doubt it; this is the same retailer who maintains 30 checkout aisles in every store but only opens four at a time just to remind customers who is in charge. No, let’s be clear, Walmart hasn’t cared about customers since Sam Walton crossed over in 1992. And even he saw customers pretty much the same way P.T. Barnum saw them.
And that is just fine. People and their companies have the right to generate revenue and make profits, just as consumers have the right to avoid them or willingly hand over their hard-earned incomes. We are a free market economy… sell what you want, buy what you want.
But I have a bad feeling about this new Walmart move. I think they finally realized (or accepted) who their primary demographic is and they are now pulling out all the stops to get them back in their stores before it is all over. I think they now know that older Americans who don’t shop online and need somewhere to go during the day are a prime target. I think they know that middle and lower income families who have yet to embrace online shopping are a prime target. I think they know that a huge assortment of consumers looking for deals on things they simply can not or will not purchase online – everything from cotton balls and laundry baskets to cereal and spaghetti sauce – are a prime target. That’s a pretty diversified audience requiring a pretty diversified product line. And it sounds a little more like Sam’s Club or Costco than Walmart.
Then again, everybody loves a circus. So, maybe Walmart really does know something that no one else knows.
12 Tips for Planning Trade Show Activities and Budgets
Exhibiting at key industry trade shows can be a very effective marketing strategy. However, trade shows require more than just a booth and booth space. Following are 12 considerations when planning and budgeting for trade shows.
1. Trade show strategy: It is key to develop a strategic plan that identifies pre-, at- and post-show marketing, measurable goals, positioning, messaging and budgets. Do you have staff internally who can mange this or do you need external support?
2. Management: Someone (either internally or externally) will need to manage and coordinate every aspect of the trade show strategy from making the exhibit space deposit to determining post-show booth storage.
3. Exhibit space: Exhibit space costs differ by show and of course by the amount of booth space you want. Also, check to see what else the booth space includes. For example, does it include carpeting and drayage?
4. Booth: Will you rent, purchase or build your own booth? Who will design the actual booth messaging and graphics? Also, plan for the details including booth and equipment shipping, drayage, graphics, signage, furniture (tables, chairs, counters, screens), literature racks, free-standing kiosks, lighting, audio-visual, computers and other technology on site, designated lead retrieval, floral arrangements, etc.
5. Manage set up: Determine the labor required to set up your booth. Will you need utilities, electric/compressed air/gas, carpet, cleaning services, water/plumbing, rigging, special effects or security?
6. Booth staffing: Which personnel will run your booth? Decide now and plan airfare, hotel, local transportation and budgets for food and other expenses early to secure the best rates.
7. Pre-show promotion: What per-show promotions will you do to increase foot traffic to your booth? If you conduct direct marketing, you’ll need to account for invitations, customer/prospect database and postage. Do you plan to conduct pre-show publicity, or advertising?
8. Show/booth promotion: How will you generate excitement and activity at your booth? Booth giveaways, demonstrations, a hospitality suite/booth, literature, show sponsorships, interactive video?
9. Special events and speaking engagements: Most trade shows put out a call for speakers or presentation months in advance. Review the opportunities available; if you have an interesting expert or a great case study to share, consider applying to speak. Also, trade shows typically offer sponsorships that might range from being a show sponsor to sponsoring recycling bins or water coolers. Or, do you plan to conduct booth demonstrations, press conferences or presentations at your booth?
10. Deconstruction and storage: Account for booth deconstruction, drayage, shipping and booth storage.
11. Post-show promotion. How do you plan to conduct follow up with existing customers, prospects and media who expressed interest during the show? Will you use telemarketing, email marketing or direct mail to encourage sales?
12. ROI analysis. Document your results and compare against your strategic plan. Did you meet your goals? What results did the show yield? Was the cost worth the investment?
Need help planning for your next trade show? Contact kayleigh (at) sweeneypr (dot) com or 440.333.001 ext. 105 to get started.
Glagla, The Original Ventilated Shoe
If this headline makes you wonder why you need the “original 
ventilated shoe”, you are not alone.
While I do have a pair of Glagla shoes, I didn’t purchase them because they were ventilated. Instead, my husband and I were recently on a cruise and one of the stops was St. Thomas. Known for its shopping, we took to the streets and stopped in a small art shop. Right in the middle of the store was a Glagla shoe rack.
The only reason it caught my attention was because the nice sales associate started telling me about these shoes. Rather than focusing on the ventilated benefit, she was promoting how the shoes were so light, comfortable and versatile. You could even wear them in the water; perfect for walks on the beach. This immediately got my attention along with the fun shoe colors, and I was sold.
It wasn’t until we got home and I did some additional research that I saw Glagla was marketing them as the “original ventilated shoe”. Who sets out to purchase walking shoes and says they want a ventilated shoe? Maybe Glagla knows something I don’t or Europeans like ventilated shoes (Glagla is in Paris, France).
Either way there are many more benefits to Glagla shoes that would create more interest among consumers. The fact that they are lightweight is a key selling feature. And considering you need to keep your airline luggage under 50lbs to eliminate extra fees, Glagla shoes are perfect for travel! Also, the ventilation keeps your feet cooler than regular shoes, making them perfect for hiking and walking in hot weather.
I just hate to see Glagla falling short because I think the shoes are pretty cool! Check them out here: http://www.glaglaparis.com/
The Difference Between Being Socially Connected and Senselessly Connected
I had lots of heroes growing up. Edward R. Murrow was one of them. And I am reminded of something he was once quoted as saying: “Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.”
Likewise, just because you have 50 or 500 or even 5000 followers on your Twitter account does not mean you are socially connected. Let’s be honest, if you closed your eyes you probably couldn’t name 10 of them. And that’s fine.
And just because 25 or 250 or 250,000 people have “liked” you on your Facebook page doesn’t mean your observations are any more or less important than when no one “liked” you. As an example, 245,000 people “like” the Aflac duck, but as we all know, he isn’t real. In fact, he doesn’t even have a voice right now.
The last time I checked, Lady Gaga had nearly 10 million followers. Do any of these 10 million people actually believe they are somehow meaningfully connected to Lady Gaga? And do you think she actually reads the tweets of the more than 140,000 people she follows? This is senseless, not social.
Anyway, this past weekend I was debating via Twitter with one of my most highly respected friends whether it is necessary for reporters/journalists to interact via social media in order to remain relevant. And although we agreed to disagree on our beliefs, I think he – and Edward R. Murrow – would acknowledge that if you have something useful to say to someone who is actually listening, then being socially connected is valuable. Anything else is senseless. The numbers are not nearly as important as the nature of the relationships.
Good night, and good luck.
