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Author Archives from: Jennifer Manocchio
All Gave Some, Some Gave All
As we get ready for our Memorial Day cookouts, take a minute to reflect on those who have served our country, especially those who gave all. Freedom has its price, and we are forever thankful for all the troops, families, friends, non-profits and companies who support our brave men and women.
In memory of my husband’s friends who he had the privilege to serve with, we will never forget their courage and dedication to our country:
Capt Phillip Dykeman, USMC
Capt John Maloney, USMC
1st Lt Joshua Palmer, USMC
SSG Kyle Wehrly, USA
SSgt Joshua Cullins, USMC
Sgt Garrett Misener, USMC
Sgt Michael Roy, USMC
Sgt Joshua Frazier, USMC
Sgt Joseph Bovia, USMC
Sgt Frank R. Zaehringer III, USMC
HM3 James Swink II, USMC
Cpl Carlos Gilorozco, USMC
Cpl Brett Lundstorm, USMC
SPC Daniel Sesker, USA
Cpl Joshua Synder, USMC
Cpl John Bishop, USMC
Cpl Stephen Sockalosky, USMC
Cpl Jacob Tate, USMC
LCpl Joseph Giese, USMC
LCpl Maung Htaik, USMC
LCpl Terry Honeycutt Jr., USMC
LCpl Dakota Huse, USMC
LCpl Michael Geary, USMC
LCpl Timothy Jackson, USMC
LCpl Joshua Twigg, USMC
LCpl Kyle Brown, USMC
LCpl Joshua Scott, USMC
Tide’s 1st Bilingual Commercial Gets Mixed Reviews
This morning I saw Tide’s new bilingual commercial for the first time, and was interested to see how the Hispanic community was responding to it. The commercial has been airing since September 2012, yet continues to receive feedback on YouTube.
Comments from Tide’s YouTube page include:
“After seeing this commercial, I will never purchase the product again.”
“Just get to the point in English.”
“I LOVE this spot (no pun intended). This is a fact of life. Join the 21st Century and understand that the world is changing.”
“These are awesome! Nevermind the racist bafoons who think “America” means white. It’s about damn time major advertisers started bothering to treat more Americans like humans.”
A recent post on LatinoRebels.com agrees the ad was well done.
“… it totally reflects a true bilingual and bicultural family. The abuela is also a bit hip, and come on, how many of you remember having to translate for your family?”
The ad is certainly soliciting feedback among consumers, but I’m sure Tide did its homework with its target audience to ensure it was well received among all Americans. After all, if people are talking about the ad, Tide did its job.
Think Seniors Are Not Online? Think Again!
The baby boomer and senior marketplace is online. They are emailing, using smart phones and tablets, purchasing products online and using social media. Here’s the proof:
• One-third of the 195.3 million Internet users in the U.S., adults aged 50+ represent the Web’s largest constituency (Jupiter Research).
• Two-thirds of Americans 50+ buy from e-retailers online (Pew).
• 89% of seniors 65+ have personal email and use it regularly (Nielsen).
• 72% of baby boomers have broadband Internet in their homes (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).
• 36% of adults 50+ own a smartphone (Pew).
• 44% of smartphone owners age 50+ access the Internet or check email daily from their device (Pew).
• Adults 45+ account for 34.7% of current tablet users (comScore TabLens).
• From 2004 – 2009, the number of seniors age 65+ actively using the Internet increased more than 55% (Nielsen).
• 27.4 million people age 55 and over engaged in social networking with nearly 19 million of those people using Facebook (comScore).
• Adults 50+ spend an average of $7 billion online annually (SeniorNet).
• 72% of adults 55-63 and even 47% age 73+ shop online (Forrester).
• 41% of Internet users 50-64 and 27% age 65+ say they watch videos online (Pew).
• The Internet is the most important source of information for baby boomers when they make major market purchases, such as automobiles or appliances (Zoomerang).
• 42% of all travel industry purchases happen online, and adults 50+ account for 80% of all luxury travel spending (Pew Internet and American Life Project).
• 82% of adults aged 50+ who use the Internet to research health and wellness information online (Pew Internet and American Life Project).
• The top four online websites for people over 60 are Google, Facebook, Yahoo and YouTube (AARP).
Consider how you can use the web, mobile and social media to reach this influential market.
Should Bloggers Disclose When a Tweet, Facebook Post or Pin is “Sponsored”?
There is no doubt about it that blogs/bloggers continue to be influential, and blogger relations should be considered as part of a company’s marketing/public relations plan. There is also no doubt about it that blogger relations continues to be the Wild West.
Many bloggers have made blogging a full time job. They are looking to secure advertising dollars for not only digital ads, but also product reviews, Facebook posts, Twitter posts and Pinterest posts. Companies see the value in bloggers writing/posting
tweeting/pinning about their products and services and are willing to pay for coverage.
While the FTC did update its guidelines in 2009 requiring bloggers to be transparent when being paid or given product for reviews, this hasn’t really cleared up the blogger transparency issue. And as more social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) are added to the mix, the lines continue to get blurred.
So while you are seeing “sponsored posts” on Facebook and “promoted” Twitter posts, users and hashtags, this doesn’t incorporate when bloggers are tweeting, pinning or posting sponsored content.
Having a journalism degree and having it ingrained in my head that advertising and editorial are always kept separate (although we can debate that too), there is a very interesting ethical discussion all us PR and marketing practitioners should be having with bloggers about this.
While journalists pride themselves on the separation of editorial and advertising, bloggers have a different motive, and in the end it’s the consumer that will likely suffer.
Should You Jump on the Viral Video Bandwagon (e.g. the Harlem Shake)?
Similar to the Gangam Style video, the Harlem Shake video has gone viral. And everyone and their brother is jumping on the bandwagon to develop their own rendition.
University of Georgia Men’s Swim and Dive Team
Pepsi
SeaWorld
As of last Thursday, the number of Harlem Shake videos was at a whooping 40,000, and those videos collectively had secured 175 million views!
So is it worth the time to respond quickly to potential YouTube sensations for your brand? Below are 6 quick questions to help vet the opportunity.
1. Does this support your marketing goals? If so, how?
2. What end result do you want to achieve by the potential exposure (e.g brand exposure, impressions, product sales, etc.)?
3. Will the video really, truly help you achieve your goals and meet your expectations?
4. What metrics can you put in place to track the results?
5. Can you really organize your employees to respond immediately?
6. Is there something, someone or a unique location you can use in the video that will stand out from others? Think Jeff Gordon, Sea World animals or underwater.
Jeep Wins Over Military Families with USO Super Bowl Commercial
Being a wife of a Marine, I know first hand what it feels like to send your husband off to war, and to welcome him home. I have sent my husband off to Iraq and Afghanistan four times in less than 7 years.
I know how hard it is to continue saying goodbye and the joy of saying welcome home. These times are filled with such emotion. Even when I think about them now they bring tears to my eyes.
So when the Jeep OSU commercial aired during the Super Bowl both my husband and me were taken back in time. The commercial touched both of us so significantly that we both had tears in our eyes.
I cannot think of another ad or marketing piece that I connected with this closely on an emotional level. And to think Jeep spent its advertising dollars to honor our true American heroes is even more touching.
Thank you Jeep for honoring our service men and women. Job well done!
Should You Engage Unpaid, Unaffiliated Brand Ambassadors?
Some may consider unpaid, unaffiliated ambassadors old fashion word-of-mouth marketing, but in today’s digital world word-of-mouth marketing takes on an entirely new meaning. Rather then telling three friends, you can easily tell 250 friends by posting on your Facebook or Twitter page. Or better yet, start a blog, Twitter or Facebook page dedicated solely to your favorite brand.
I recently came across an excellent example of this. A local Wilmington, NC resident started a Facebook page called “What’s Good at Trader Joe’s in Wilmington, NC” that currently boosts 681 likes.
According to the Facebook page, this individual is not associated or paid by Trader Joe’s.
What I love about this Facebook page as a consumer is this is real. The posts are not excessive, and I have actually tried products suggested on this page.
What is even more fascinating about this is the local Trade Joe’s store page currently has 485 likes. And there hasn’t been a single post from the store!
While it might be tempting for Trade Joe’s corporate or the local store manager to start courting “What’s Good At Trader Joe’s in Wilmington, NC”, please resist the temptation. It remains more real, transparent and engaging for us followers if he is left alone. And recent research backs this up.
According to Adweek: We’re increasingly friending brands on Facebook—the average consumer has 29 brand friends on social networking sites, up from just seven a year ago. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re spending time with them. Less than half of us (39 percent) interact with brands regularly or all the time, with the rest doing so occasionally (33 percent) or hardly/never (28 percent), according to the latest edition of The Curve Report from NBCUniversal Integrated Media.
For all those marketers out there, weigh the pros and cons before you engage someone like my friend “What’s Good at Trader Joe’s in Wilmington, NC”. While you might consider your “unpaid” flag carries to be a gold mine, you don’t want to tarnish a good thing!
How Many News Releases Should an Organization Distribute?
We recently had a client ask us how many news releases they should be distributing in a year. While the short answer is it all depends on how much news an organization has to share, every organization should focus on conducting an ongoing publicity and media relations campaign. This requires regular and ongoing news release development and distribution.
When conducting publicity and media relations the goal is to provide more quality releases to the media than focusing on quantity. However, the more quality releases distributed to the media and the more media follow up conducted, the more likely quality editorial coverage will appear.
For almost all organizations, we recommend developing and distributing one news release per month for a total of 12 releases at the minimum.
The maximum number of releases really depends on the overall goals of the organization, the quantity of news you have to share and who is receiving the releases. For example, are releases being created to support SEO? Are they being created to educate investors? Are they being created to secure media coverage?
We can also look at the question in reverse … can you ever distribute too many news release? The short answer is yes. If too many news releases are being distributed to the same media contacts over and over and the news releases are not high quality and engaging, it can exhaust the media.
The bottom line is it is better to focus on developing quality releases than focusing on the number of releases. However, if you need to set a goal for your organization to ensure regular communication with the media, shoot for one news release a month at the minimum.
5 Tips to Accurately Measure Marketing Campaign Success (Or Failure)
Measuring the success of marketing, public relations, advertising and social media campaigns is a no brainer. However, it requires significant commitment and dedication before, during and after the campaign.
1. Establish Measurable Objectives: Push yourself or your department to establish measurable objectives. How much do you want to increase your website traffic by… 25%, 50%? What specific audience do you want to increase brand awareness with and by how much? How much media coverage do you want to achieve? Are there any specific publications you are looking to achieve coverage in? The more measurable the objectives are, the easier it is to evaluate the campaign success (or failure).
2. Documents Benchmarks: In order to determine campaign success (or failure), it is critical to document current benchmarks. For example, conduct a website analysis and document the unique visitors, evaluate the new visitors compared to reoccurring visitors, time on the site, bounce rates, sales conversions, etc. Do the same for your social media sites, publicity and media relations, advertising landing pages, incoming phone calls, sales leads/conversions, etc.
3. Establish Metrics: When identifying your strategies and tactics, ensure each strategy/tactic has a specific metric to help measure the success (or failure). Depending on your strategies/tactics, metrics may include:
- Establishing/tracking a unique toll free number.
- Establishing/tracking advertising website landing pages or unique URLs.
- Establishing/tracking coupon or PDF downloads.
- Establishing/tracking online sales conversions goals.
- Tracking media clips.
- Tracking social media followers and engagement.
- Documenting website analytics.
Depending on your strategies/tactics, there are a number of different tools to help you track results from media clipping services to website analytics.
4. Ongoing Tracking: Once the campaign has launched, continue diligently tracking and assessing the results. Determining how often you will document the results will help establish accountability. This will also allow you to adjust the campaign as you move forward.
5. Final Report: Once the campaign has completed, document and assess the final results. Determine the return on investment and whether the campaign was a good use of marketing dollars.
Remaining diligent with the reporting process during the campaign can pay amazing dividends. Successful campaigns with well-documented results and reports can easily be shared with upper management, and help secure marketing dollars for future campaigns. Campaigns that didn’t quite meet expectations can be evaluated to help identify why, ensuring the same mistakes are not made a second time.
Case Studies: A Powerful 3rd Party Endorsement
A case study is an excellent marketing tool to help show – rather than tell – customers and prospects how wonderful your products or services truly are. They help build confidence in what a product or service delivers, as well as in the brand/company.
Depending on the topic, case studies will vary greatly in content and length. However, a case study should always incorporate the situation, challenges, solution(s) and results.
Whenever possible include the client/customers company name and quotes. Otherwise, the case study can lose value if you have to refer to the client/customer in generic terms (e.g. a leading retailer). Additionally, photography, videography and other visuals like charts and graphs will help enhance the overall story and impact.
Finally, ensure to secure approval from your client/customer prior to distributing externally.
Once the case study is completed, maximize the exposure. There are a variety of ways you can accomplish this.
1. Develop a news release highlighting the project and distribute to relevant media.
2. Develop marketing collateral highlighting the case study (e.g. a brochure, add to your website, etc.).
3. Secure editorial placement of a case study as a feature article in trade publications and websites.
4. Incorporate into sales presentations.
5. Share the case study and visuals with relevant industry bloggers.
6. Share the case study on relevant social media sites.
7. Research industry speaking opportunities and submit an abstract featuring the case study for consideration.
Beware of Video Production Company Scams
We often receive phone calls from production companies looking to feature our client’s products or services in a television show. The television show name is typically very similar to a popular national show. The pitch is fast and furious, and there is typically a very short timeline involved. For whatever reason, these companies tend to be located in Florida.
The pitch typically includes an audience reach of billions of households through cable or public television. And the more digging and questioning you do, you will eventually discover there is a $20,000+ price tag to cover production costs.
So how do you determine if this is a legitimate media opportunity or a video production company scam?
1. Inquire About Associated Costs: This is the first question you should ask. If it is a true media outlet or legitimate TV media opportunity, there will NEVER be a cost involved. Sometimes TV shows or news shows will ask for product to giveaway to the live audience, but NEVER cold hard cash.
Certainly there are legitimate TV show sponsorship opportunities you can tap into to promote products or services (e.g. Coke on American Idol). But these advertising representatives typically do not have to go hunting for sponsorship opportunities or use pushy sales tactics.
2. Ask Where the Segment Will Air: The model used by these production companies includes submitting the show or segment to cable TV or public television. However, the problem is there is no guarantee the show will ever air, and even if it does, there is no way to track results.
3. Ask to See a Sample: Immediately viewing other projects the production company has completed will quickly tell you all you need to know. They are typically not very high quality.
4. Ask for a Case Study and Referral: If you still need more data to determine if this is something worth considering, ask for a case study that highlights the TV placement. Also, reach out to past clients who have participated in their show or segment.
5. Contact PBS or the Cable Networks to Confirm Distribution: In fact, PBS actually addresses these types of situations right on their website. See the image below.
6. Contact the Better Business Bureau and Conduct an Online Search: If there is still question, contact the BBB and see if the company has any complaints logged or if they are rated. Also, conducting a quick online search using the production company’s name and the show will typically provide results.
Certainly there is value in using video to promote your company, product or service, but be sure you know what you are getting before you sign on the dotted line.
Savvy Bloggers are Shifting the Product Review Landscape
The landscape of blogger relations and product review campaigns is changing. Through our ongoing work with bloggers – from mommy bloggers to baking bloggers, fitness bloggers, weight loss bloggers, DIY bloggers, and bloggers with diabetes – we have seen a significant shift in how bloggers approach product reviews.
In 2008, we had bloggers lining up to test product. The idea of companies contacting bloggers to conduct reviews was a novelty. Bloggers received free product and often a prize pack for one lucky reader. The giveaways helped the bloggers secure blog traffic as well as Facebook followers and Twitter followers.
Bloggers embraced this. They loved the idea of testing new products or securing an advance review of a product that was not even available to the masses yet. Bloggers even started developing networks to help secure even more product for review.
Then companies started inviting bloggers to their headquarters to educate them, gain product feedback and product innovation ideas. Bloggers loved the special attention from free product to free trips!
Fast-forward to today and bloggers are becoming savvier. They worked diligently throughout the years – with the help of consumer product companies – to build their following. And just like other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube they are determining the best way to cash in. It is not only about free product samples anymore, but also about increasing cash flow.
In addition to more bloggers wanting to cash in on the opportunity, there has been an increase in corporations wanting bloggers to review product. Consider most bloggers are either raising children or hold full time jobs, there is only so much time available to review product and write blog posts.
With the demand becoming higher and higher, bloggers are now more selective with the products they review, and more and more are requiring cash payment for their time.
Yesterday we met as an agency to evaluate this shift and determine the best way to continue to secure quality blog reviews for our clients. We are taking a deeper dive into the subject.
In the upcoming month we will be contacting the bloggers themselves to learn more about their experience and challenges with product reviews. Stay turned for more on the changing landscape of blogger relations.
False Corporate Rumors: Address or Ignore?
Corporate rumors can be a headache for marketing departments, and potentially be very damaging to the brand if they are not addressed properly. However, this does not always mean the best course of action is to address the rumor directly.
There are a variety of different ways to respond to rumors, which include:
• Ignore the rumor.
• Divert the attention currently on the rumor by sharing other positive corporate news with the media, social media sites and the industry at large.
• Determine if the source of the rumor can be located and addressed independently.
• Address the rumor head on.
The course of action depends entirely on the rumor. You can start to address the challenge by documenting answers to a few critical questions:
• Define the rumor. Is one source saying it or multiple sources (how many and specifically who)? Have any credible sources like the media or industry associations addressed the rumor?
• Are the rumors truly and entirely false?
• Will the rumor hurt the company? If so, what are the different ways the rumor can affect the company?
• Is it an immediate, short-term issue or a serious, long-term issue?
• How is the rumor being spread (word of mouth, social media, media, ads, etc.)?
More often than not it is best to address the rumor and confront the sources. But if taking that course of action simply gives life to the problem or worse, exacerbates it, then it is more prudent to ignore it and counter it with positive outbound communications.
If the rumor is relatively insignificant, then ignoring it may be the best solution.
However, the first step is to play out each scenario and weigh the potential benefits and drawbacks. The time spent researching and thinking strategically about the challenge and the response will be well worth the investment.
Of course, you still have to make a decision about whether or not to respond, but at least you will have foundational support for the decision rather than responding out of fear, a gut feeling or an industry case study.
The Significance of 1986
Let me take you back to 1986 when…
- Approximately seven million Americans joined hands in “Hands Across America”.
- Mike Tyson became the youngest Heavyweight Champion in history.
- Smoking was banned on all public transport including trains, planes, buses and coaches.
- The first 10 musicians were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
- Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective marked the first major use of computer animation in an animated film
- The Internet Mail Access Protocol is defined, opening the way for email.
- Sweeney opened its doors for business. We officially celebrate our 26-year anniversary on October 8. Since our establishment, we have had the great privilege of serving hundreds of leading brand name clients – many of whom we helped to create, including: Acuity Brands, Aflac, Assurant, Avery Dennison, BFGoodrich, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Ohio, Care Services, Cleveland Clinic, Chef’s Planet, Demag Plastics Group, 1st Step PRO-WELLNESS, GenCorp, Goo Gone, Hyland Software, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, Kaiser Permanente, Kent State University, Lithonia Lighting, Magic American, MosquitoNix, NiteLites, Nordson Corporation, Outdoor Power Equipment Association, Peerless Carpet, Price Club, Proforma, Russell Hobbs, Summa Health System, The Plaza Group, University Hospitals, Visiting Nurse Association, Walgreens, Weiman Products and Westfield Shoppingtowns. We are forever grateful.
Obesity PSAs Pick on Fat People
We all know there is a huge obesity issue in America. Many are trying to address the issue, including the First Lady Michelle Obama. But what is the right approach to get people motivated to change their behaviors?
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota thinks they have the answer… motivate the parents to change their behaviors. But their approach is sparking controversy across the country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXy2UZPncrk
Many argue the television ads are picking on fat people.
However, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota – for better or worse – is getting their message out. The controversial ads are receiving national media attention and helping to spread the message without further ad dollars.
Happy Belated Talk Like a Pirate Day
Did you know yesterday (September 19) was International Talk Like a Pirate Day?
If not, you are not a lone. There are literally hundreds of wacky “holidays” that have been created for marketing purposes from national miniature golf day to nation chocolate milkshake day, national elephant appreciation day and national blueberry popsicle day. Can you literally celebrate a holiday every day of the week!
Besides never having to put away your party hat, these holidays offer a great way to market your product or service to consumers, media and bloggers. Consider a few of the International Talk Like a Pirate Day promotions featured on ABC News.
See a Free Show!
For those in the New York City area, the producers of the Tony Award-winning Broadway show “Peter and the Starcatchers” are celebrating the day with what they’re calling “Stache Day.” The first 100 mustached pirates in line can get a free ticket to the show.
Get Doughnuts!
As a proud advocate of ITLAP Day, Krispy Kreme is offering one free glazed doughnut to anyone who enters participation locations and talks like a pirate. But wait, there’s more! Walk in wearing full pirate gear, and you’ll get a bounty of a free dozen.
As silly as some of these holidays may be, consider taking advantage of them to get a little extra mileage out of your next advertising campaign, product launch, social media contest, sales promotions, etc.
For a full list of “holidays” visit: http://familycrafts.about.com/lr/special_days/402409/2/
AMC Goes Social with DISH Network Dispute
Disagreements between networks and cable provides are commonplace. However, thanks to social media, the current dispute between AMC and DISH Network has now gone social.
DISH Network customers have been without AMC for two months. Rather than just sitting in the boardroom negotiating a contract, AMC put their marketing gears in motion. They launched a marketing campaign that enlists its brand advocates or “flag carriers” to go to battle for them.
Last month AMC launched a YouTube contest called “Hey DISH, Where’s my AMC?” The premise is simple… DISH Network customers (or anyone for that matter) can submit a video about how upset they are with DISH Network for dropping the network.
Video submissions have been rolling in and the contest ends today. Below is one of the more popular videos with 900,000 views.
According to NPR: Since AMC was cut, DISH has lost some subscribers, though “it’s not quite a mass exodus,” says Sam Thielman, who covers television for AdWeek and has been closely following the dispute.
Whatever the outcome is, kudos to AMC for working quickly to rally the troops. Never underestimate your brand advocates and how you can enlist them to help you achieve your goals.
Forget Social Media: Sprint Uses Handwritten Thank You Notes to Connect with Customers
Are handwritten “thank you” notes a good marketing strategy? Sprint thinks so.
In the competitive telecommunications industry, Verizon, Sprint and AT&T are doing whatever they can to set themselves apart. Just think about the advertising battle Verizon and AT&T had a few years ago over signal strength.
In order to create a personal connection between customers and the company, Sprint has employed a marketing/customer relationship strategy that doesn’t require billions of advertising dollars – distributing simple handwritten thank you notes to customers. Sprint is close to reaching its goal of distributing 500,000 personal handwritten thank yous to its current customers. Even the CEO is working on his penmanship.
In an age when customers are overwhelmed with emails, social media sites, automated customer service attendants and automated/online bill pay, personal interaction with customers seems to be going the way of the dinosaur.
In today’s world, a handwritten note will certainly stand out. Think about the last time you actually received a handwritten letter in the mail. I think mine was when my grandmother wrote me letters in college! Even birthday cards have gone digital.
So Sprint’s strategy is definitely a smart one. They even included a way to track the success and help drive retail store sales. Enclosed in the thank you note is a 25% off coupon for an accessory redeemable at a Sprint store.
What some may consider “old fashion marketing” is now cutting through the digital marketing clutter.
Cheaper Still Beats Eco-Friendly
While a recent study by Green Up Street, LLC focuses on product packaging, it confirms that cheaper still beats eco-friendly when it comes to consumer products.
The study, conducted for a national cereal brand, presented consumers with two cereal boxes – the company’s current cereal box with no eco-friendly claims and a cereal box made with sugarcane bagasse that featured eco-friendly packaging claims. When told the price and the cereal in the box were identical, one in six consumers expressed purchasing preferences for the eco-friendly box.
However, when the same consumers were told the cereal was the same but the price was 10 percent higher for the eco-friendly packaging, 2 to 1 chose the cheaper box that was not environmentally friendly.
The bottom line: Consumer attitudes are not changing. Cheaper still beats eco-friendlier. And we are talking females ages 25-45! They want to save the environment, but they prefer to save their household budgets.
For more information on the study, click here.
Google & Facebook Continue to Enhance Online Advertising Opportunities
The competition for online advertising spending is fierce. With U.S. online spend forecasted to grow 23.3% this year, according to a February 2012 forecast from eMarketer, it comes as no surprise that two big online giants are doing whatever it takes to secure more ad dollars.
Just this week Google and Facebook announced upgrades to their systems. On June 5, Google launched its DoubleClick Digital Marketing platform, the “biggest ever overhaul” of DoubleClick. The goal of the upgrade is to allow marketers to more easily manage ad campaigns across different platforms, including mobile, video, display and search.
Direct Marketing News explained it best: DoubleClick — essentially a tool to streamline digital marketing efforts — aims to integrate the process of creating and tracking campaigns by enabling tailored messaging and an easy analysis of real time results. The entire system is bolstered by Google Analytics to allow backend tracking and the ability to report onsite traffic while incorporating that information into specific ad campaigns.
On the social media side, Facebook is also enhancing its online advertising offerings. Now advertisers can select whether they want their Sponsored Stories links appearing on fans’ desktop News Feeds, mobile News Feeds, within the sidebar, or in any combination of the three.
“Facebook is always looking for ways to improve products and has responded to requests from marketers to control the placement of their sponsored stories,” the company said in a statement, according to Business Insider. “As companies are promoting services more frequently on mobile, this option gives them the opportunity to focus on specific placements that will impact them most directly.”
The message both Google and Facebook are sending is clear. They want to make it as easy, as fast and as flexible as possible to purchase online and mobile advertising. In turn, marketers need to stay focused on what online and mobile advertising platforms are going to deliver the best results.
See our two recent posts on Facebook advertising and online advertising to help develop the best strategies when it comes to online/social media advertising.
In Memory of Those Who Served
As we get ready for our Memorial Day cookouts, take a minute to reflect on those who have served our country, especially those who gave all. Freedom has its price, and we are forever thankful for all the troops, families, friends, non-profits and companies who support our brave men and women.
In memory of my husband’s friends who he had the privilege to serve with, we will never forget their courage and dedication to our country:
Capt Phillip Dykeman, USMC
Capt John Maloney, USMC
1st Lt Joshua Palmer, USMC
SSG Kyle Wehrly, USA
SSgt Joshua Cullins, USMC
Sgt Garrett Misener, USMC
Sgt Michael Roy, USMC
Sgt Joshua Frazier, USMC
Sgt Joseph Bovia, USMC
Sgt Frank R. Zaehringer III, USMC
HM3 James Swink II, USMC
Cpl Carlos Gilorozco, USMC
Cpl Brett Lundstorm, USMC
SPC Daniel Sesker, USA
Cpl Joshua Synder, USMC
Cpl John Bishop, USMC
Cpl Stephen Sockalosky, USMC
Cpl Jacob Tate, USMC
LCpl Joseph Giese, USMC
LCpl Maung Htaik, USMC
LCpl Terry Honeycutt Jr., USMC
LCpl Dakota Huse, USMC
LCpl Michael Geary, USMC
LCpl Timothy Jackson, USMC
LCpl Joshua Twigg, USMC
LCpl Kyle Brown, USMC
LCpl Joshua Scott, USMC
P&G’s Response to New Tide Pods Poisoning Children is Weak
Just months ago, Tide launched their new breakthrough laundry detergent – Tide Pods. The pods are laundry detergent packaged in a dissolvable shell.
The pods have two swirls of colorful liquid on one side and then powder detergent on the other. However, the swirls of colorful liquid are not only attracting consumers to purchase the Tide Pods, but also causing children to ingest the product.
According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, officials have reported more than 180 children have ingested the Tide Pods and become sick.
A Tide Pod customer myself, the colorful pods is part of what drew me to the product itself. The container is clear and I can certainly understand why small children are attracted to placing what looks like candy into their mouths.
After seeing the media reports this morning, I was shocked to discover P&G’s response was they will be launching a new child lock container for the Tide Pods by the summer. There was no mention of changing the colorful pods to look less like candy and more like laundry detergent. Why? Because this colorful presentation is likely part of what is helping drive sales.
Certainly P&G has some good arguments on its side for not touching the pod design itself – parents need to be more responsible and 180 children is not enough to change something that is effective. However, parents are a huge target audience for P&G and more consideration should be taken on the company’s part to keep children safe from poisonous products.
Advice: Dip Your Toe in Facebook Advertising
Right now Facebook is under a microscope as it prepares for its IPO. One of the biggest questions is how will Facebook continue to increase profits when its profits rely on its advertising dollars. A recent Associated Press article reported Facebook has 900 million users, but only makes a few dollars per year from each user.
With GM pulling $10 million in advertising from the social media behemoth will marketers continue to see the value in Facebook?
The bottom line is there is not enough data to support the success of spending advertising dollars on Facebook. This doesn’t mean that Facebook advertising doesn’t work, but just that it hasn’t been around long enough and enough studies haven’t been completed to verify its validity as a solid marketing/advertising strategy.
So if you feel Facebook advertising is a good fit for your organization, our biggest piece of advise is to develop a Facebook advertising strategy with very measurable objectives and test, test, test.
If you do not set measurable objectives – whether that is to increase sales, increase your Facebook likes, increase attendance at an event, encourage coupon download, etc. – you will never know if your Facebook advertising is working. Also, have realistic expectations and be open to the fact that you might have to adjust your target audiences and your messages before you get it right.
Listen to Media & Bloggers
What do media and bloggers know and think about your company, its products and its experts? What better way to find out than ask. Listening to what media and bloggers have to say is the best way to start building a good relationship.
We have been conducting media and blogger audits for years. They are a great foundation for building relationships, determining how to secure more quality coverage from target media and bloggers and uncovering company and competitor product perceptions and knowledge. Media and bloggers appreciate being asked their opinions and when approached properly provide excellent information.
We typically implement this strategy when we start working with new clients or to help support a new campaign, initiative or product launch. Below is the six-step process we use to conduct successful media and blogger audits.
1. Document objective: Determine why are you conducting the audit and what you hope to learn. For example, do you want to discover what media and bloggers know about your industry and competitors? Do you feel you are not receiving adequate media and blog coverage and want to determine why? Do you want to determine how to better communicate with media and bloggers to help secure more quality coverage? Clearly defining your objectives will help you craft specific audit questions.
2. Develop audit questions: Considering media and bloggers do not have much time to spare, a good rule of thumb is to develop no more than five-six audit questions. Ensure the questions are not all close ended because this will limit the information media and bloggers share. Also, based on the media and bloggers you are targeting consider developing more than one audit. For example, if you are targeting both trade and consumer media, you might want to go more in-depth with the trade media about your industry and competitors.
3. Determine the best methods for conducting the audit: Based on our experience, conducting an audit with media is much more successful over the phone. Conducting an audit with bloggers is much more successful over email or using an online survey program.
4. Conduct the audit: When conducting the audit, ensure you are providing an incentive for the media and bloggers to participate. Media are happy to provide feedback when it benefits them. For example, simply including a few questions in the media audit about the best way to communicate with them and their preferences will go a long way to helping develop a relationship. If you are conducting a product launch, offering a product sample for review to bloggers is a good incentive for them to participate.
5. Review and assess the results: Once you complete the audit, review and assess the data. Consider your objectives and how the information you learned can help you achieve them.
6. Follow up: Another benefit of conducting these audits is they often provide opportunities for your company. Be sure if media or bloggers provided an opportunity that you follow up accordingly and in a timely manner.
You’ve Sponsored a Cause… Now What?
Selecting a non-profit to sponsor is only the first step to implementing a successful cause marketing campaign. Now that you have a mission to support, it is essential to develop a strategic marketing plan on how to help increase awareness for the cause while also connecting with your internal and external target audiences.
Below are a number of strategies you can consider to help achieve your cause marketing objectives. Be sure you have approval from the non-profit prior to moving forward with any strategies as most have guidelines based on your in-kind and/or dollar contribution.
1. Product Packaging: Add the non-profit’s logo to your product packaging. Consider a location on the packaging where customers and prospects will actually notice the logo.
2. Website: Develop a page on your website or a microsite highlighting your company’s commitment to the cause. Consider ways to expand the message beyond your sponsorship commitment and include why and how your company got involved. Also, if it is appropriate, include educational information from the non-profit on the webpage or microsite to educate your customers and prospects.
For example, if you are a consumer packaged goods company focused on marketing to women and you sponsor the American Cancer Society, include educational information on cancers that directly effect women, warning signs, etc. Be sure the non-profit approves this and that information is credited to relevant/medical sources.
3. Publicity & Media Relations: Use publicity and media relations as a way to create awareness about your involvement in the non-profit. Beyond announcing your initial commitment, consider ways to continue to promote the cause marketing campaign. For example, if you are sponsoring Habitat for Humanity, announce new home groundbreakings, milestones and your employee involvement.
4. Employee Involvement: Whether it is supporting a local 5K, getting involved directly with volunteering or raising money, consider ways to engage your employees in the cause. Be sure to capture photography and/or video to share with both your internal and external audiences.
5. Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, etc. are great channels to share your cause marketing messaging. One note of caution is to avoid patting yourself on the back about how the company is sponsoring the non-profit. Focus more on how you are supporting the mission, share photos of employee events and announce key non-profit events/messages (e.g. February is heart month… what are you doing to care for your heart?)
6. Events: Talk with the non-profit and determine what events you can create on your own or pre-established events you can get involved in. Consider ways to support the mission while achieving your objectives. For example, can employees volunteer at an event and distribute samples to attendees. See what else you can do beyond hanging a corporate banner.
7. Advertising: While you might not want to run an ad campaign based solely on your cause marketing campaign, consider adding the non-profit’s logo or a tag about your involvement.
8. Email/Direct Marketing: Similar to advertising, you might not want to implement an email or direct marketing campaign based solely on your cause marketing campaign, but consider ways to incorporate your cause marketing messaging into these marketing pieces (photos, videos, logos, etc.).
9. Engage Customers: Consider ways to engage customers and prospects with the non-profit. For example, if you conduct customer/prospect surveys for market research/customer service purposes, offer to donate a specific dollar amount for every survey completed (with a cap of course). Have customers or prospects engage with you on social media in a way that benefits the non-profit (share a mission story, increase your overall donations with more followers or engagement).
There are many cause marketing strategies you can implement to maximize your non-profit sponsorship. Do not hesitate to contact the non-profit to brainstorm strategies and learn best practices from other corporate sponsors. After all, the non-profit wants you to have a good experience and continue to support their mission.
Anything Goes in Political Marketing
As we continue to move into the heat of the 2012 presidential election, marketing strategies and tactics continuing to unfold on both sides that fascinate me.
For example, my husband received the “Stand Up for America Survey” in the mail. It’s a survey for the Republican Party and the results will eventually provide ammunition for the Republican campaign.
We have received these surveys before and I know how skewed they are. So when my husband said he was going to complete it, I was interested to see his response. After reading the first two questions, he refused to move on.
“President Obama and the Democrats have continually called for raising taxes to pay for even more new big government spending during the worse economic recessions in nearly 100 years. Republicans want to keep taxes low and reduce taxes on businesses to help create jobs. Which approach to tax policy do you support.” – Obama/Democrat, Republican or No Opinion?
“Republicans have fought to shrink the size of government to stop the rapid accumulation of federal debt cased by President Obama’s policies. Obama and the Democrats in Congress have called for more federal spending as the answer to every problem that confronts our nation and society. Which approach to federal spending do you agree with?” – Obama/Democrat, Republican or No Opinion?
The survey was so skewed it wasn’t even funny. The bottom line is when it comes to political marketing anything goes.
I’ll continue to post about political marketing strategies throughout the campaign. Feel free to share any you find interesting or just plain ugly in the comments section.
How Much Has the Smartphone or Tablet Changed Your World?
We all know that smartphones – from constant Internet and social media connection to apps – are changing the way we operate as a society. The change is happening so rapidly and almost seamlessly that most of us probably don’t realize how much we use and rely on our smartphones.
How did the business world even operate without employees having constant access to their phones, email and the Internet? How did busy moms keep track of their schedules without a calendar that never leaves their side and actually reminds them of events?
Think about it. Now we can use apps to find the best meal when traveling. We don’t even have to watch TV or connect to an online news site to get up to date national and local news. We can scan prescriptions with our smart phones and get a refill in seconds.
While smartphones are making everyday activities easier for consumers, some businesses are facing challenges to compete effectively.
For example, brick-and-mortar stores are facing a big challenge when it comes to “showrooming”. Showrooming is when consumers are in a retailer and conduct a price search on their smartphone to find the product cheaper elsewhere (of course there are apps for this too). Currently a solution hasn’t been identified for retailers to combat showrooming.
Another example is the recent gas apps that have surfaced. With the price of gas rising, consumers are on the hunt for cheaper gas. And of course… there is an app for that.
The bottom line is marketers need to understand how smartphones are changing their target audiences behavior and determine how they can tap into that experience.
How to Become a YouTube Sensation Overnight
Just like there is no magic bullet for getting rich, there is no magic bullet for becoming a YouTube sensation overnight. Sure there are those who just happen to get lucky like “Evolution of Dance” or “Keenan Cahill’s Only Girl in the World (With Me)”, but most brands commit time and dollars to marketing their online videos and hoping to go “viral”.
Method’s new “Clean Happy” campaign is a prime example. The campaign launched with an online music video on Monday, and Method will continue to launch music video vignettes monthly.
According to a recent news release on the campaign launch, the videos will be supported by a social media program, viewer and community offerings, and an online media buy. Additionally, Method’s web videos will be distributed through Facebook, YouTube and to bloggers. The videos link to product offerings and coupons that drive viewers to Method’s Facebook page
Method’s approach appears to be paying off. In less than 4 days, their “Clean Happy” video has secured 280,000+ views.
Twitter’s Geographic Boundaries
The exciting aspect of social media is it opens the door for participants to make connections outside their geographic reach and focus on common interests (being a mom, running, cooking, etc.). However, a recent article “Geography of Twitter” by Barry Wellman, Yuri Tahkteyev and Anatoliy Gruzd published in Social Networks (Jan. 2012) proves there are more geographic boundaries than we initially thought with Twitter. In fact, the article proves through Twitter research that social media connections look more like an airline hub map.
Wellman, Tahkteyev and Gruzd analyzed half a million tweets to determine where people are tweeting from and who is following them. They discovered a lot of people have local Twitter ties mostly because people are interested in their local communities. Furthermore, Twitter connections are very much the same as the connections we have in the “real” world.
Airline connections already prove there is commonality between two cities, for example: trade connections, professional connections, entertainment connections, etc. And people on Twitter are more likely to follow others who are just a plane ride away from them because of those commonalities.
“Los Angeles is more likely to be connected to Toronto than St. Louis. And my apologies to St. Louis, but Torontonians rarely go to there. Tweets – to use the Twitter term – are more likely to be connected to each other between those localities than not,” said Wellman in a recent interview with NPR Morning Edition.
If we apply Wellman’s, Tahkteyev and Gruzd thought process – that “real” world and “social” world connections are the same – to marketing, it is highly likely the same consumers brands are connecting with through traditional advertising and marketing campaigns, are the same people brands are connecting with on social media.
Car Manufacturers Battle it Out in 2012 Online Super Bowl Ads
Car manufacturers are not waiting for the big game anymore to share their Super Bowl commercials. But being able to track the interest on YouTube is proving to be a game in and of its self.
So who is winning?
Right now Volkswagen’s The Bark Side teaser is leading with 10.8 million views on YouTube. But keep in mind this was launched on January 18.
Volkswagen’s Beetle commercial The Dog Strikes Back falls short with only 1.1 million views. The video was posted on YouTube on January 30.
Honda’s CR-V commercial with Matthew Broderick is a big hit with 8.3 million views. It launched January 26 on YouTube.
Accura isn’t far behind with 7.4 million views for its NSX commercial featuring Jerry Seinfeld & Jay Leno, which was launched January 30.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUFSHzT2xuY
The bottom line is while Volkswagen really made a big splash with its The Bark Side teaser, its actual commercial has fallen short on delivering something entertaining – although the dog is cute and the commercial did make me laugh.
The celebrity power is helping Honda and Accura move to the top. Given we still have 3 days until the big game, its highly likely Honda or Accura will win the battle.
The Latest Rage: Pink LEGOs
In December 2011, LEGO launched LEGO Friends targeting girls. What most thought was a brand that could do no harm, is now feeling the heat about their gender specific marketing campaign.
A pair of 22-year-old activists for girls, Bailey Shoemaker Richards and Stephanie Cole, launched a petition to get LEGO to commit to gender equity in marketing. So far they have generated 50,040 signatures. Not really something I would be worried about if I was in LEGO’s marketing department.
However, this gender specific marketing debate has sparked media and blogger attention. NPR, Huffington Post, New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle are among the media covering the story.
The argument is pink LEGOs are preventing girls from being creative. Stephanie Cole of SPARKmovement.org wrote on her blog, “I can speak from personal experience and assure you, LEGO, that girls do like minifigs. They also like Star Wars and Harry Potter, and they like being creative and making up stories that involve adventures and good and evil and things blowing up. But if you keep on excluding them from your marketing vision, soon they will start to believe that they would rather have hot tubs and little plastic boobs.”
But what about girls who would play more with LEGOs, and would be more creative because they are pink? And no one is stopping girls from playing with traditional LEGOs because now there are pink ones. Just like no one is stopping boys from playing Barbie and girls from playing GI Joe.
In fact, coming from a family of three girls and no brothers, we never even owned a box of LEOGs. Sure we might play with the neighborhood boys, but it was never a toy my sisters or me wanted. If there were pink ones, I’m sure we would have been more interested.
On January 12 2012, LEGO responded on their website. Mads Nipper, executive vice president, marketing, the LEGO Group, provided the company’s rebuttal. “We want to correct any misinterpretation that LEGO Friends is our only offering for girls. This is by no means the case. We know that many girls love to build and play with the wide variety of LEGO products already available. LEGO Friends joins this global collection of products as yet another theme option from which parents may choose the best building experience for their child’s skill and interest.”
While pink LEGOs are sparking more interest (positive and negative) than the company probably anticipated, it is not enough to stop them from stocking the shelves. Sales will be the real determining factor, but with 4 years of research to back up their product line expansion, plan to see pink LEGOs on shelves for years to come.
Laundry Detergent Industry Shakeup
Get ready to transform the way you do laundry. In February, Tide is launching Tide Pods – laundry detergent packaged in a dissolvable shell.
This seems like such an easy solution that it is a bit perplexing none of the laundry detergent manufacturers have launched this previously. In fact, Tide has been selling these “Pods” in Europe for more than a decade. And US consumers have no issue with dishwasher detergent packets. So why should laundry be any different?
I certainly think this concept will catch on, and other manufacturers will soon be jumping on the bandwagon for a few reasons.
First, detergent is messy. We use liquid detergent and I hate it when my husband doesn’t thoroughly clean the liquid detergent cup (although I don’t gripe about it because afterall he does help with the laundry). Also, it is annoying when the detergent drips from the large containers that feature an easy to pour spout.
Second, both liquid and powder detergent takes up a lot of space. Reducing this space will be useful for both large and small households alike.
Third, it reduces our carbon footprint by eliminating the shipping of heavy liquid or powder containers.
Finally, you don’t have to lug a big laundry detergent box or bottle from the store to your house any more.
Love it… I’m sold!
Gotchies Study Smart PR Strategy for Laundry Products Manufacturer
More than 24 million pairs of underwear where predicated to be given as 2011 Christmas gifts from men to their wives and girlfriends in the UK. But almost half of those underwear will never be worn or washed because they are either the wrong color or too racy, according to survey conducted by Dr. Beckmann – a laundry products manufacturer.
This is definitely an interesting study for a laundry products manufacturer and reads more like something you would expect from a lingerie retailer. But thinking beyond the washer and dryer gave Dr. Beckmann an advantage with the competition and the media.
This type of study is certain to get the media talking. After all, we are all looking – both media and consumers – for something other than cookies, gifts and decorating to read and talk about during the holiday season.
The UK media certainly agreed. This successful media strategy landed headlines like:
“Men are pants at choosing seasonal briefs, says women”
“Too racy, too lacy: Twelve million pairs of Christmas knickers will never be worn”
“They’re lovely – now give me the receipt”
In additional to getting the media’s interest, who wouldn’t want to read, Tweet, Facebook or Google+ these stories? Heck it caught our attention on the other side of the pond.
So not only did Dr. Beckmann land some great media coverage, but the stories are definitely something people would be likely to read and share both online and verbally.
Go here to view the full study.
Google+ Steps Up
Google+ is gaining momentum. Just launched in September 2011, Google+ has 40 million users. This might not seem like much compared to Facebook’s 800 million plus users, but Facebook has had more than 7 years of lead time to perfect its system.
Just this week Google+ announced improvements on its blog.
Never Miss an Important Post
Google+ is ensuring posts from close family and friends do not get lost in the clutter.
When viewing the stream for a particular circle, you’ll now see a slider at the top that lets you adjust how posts from that circle should be blended into the main stream. That way you’ll never miss a post from that special someone, and you can tweak these settings to form your own “perfect stream.”
Stay Up to Date Faster
It’s now easier to see what is new and interesting.
We now have easy-to-read “sneak previews” that immediately present what’s new and why you might care. We’ve polished these notifications up and made a few other meaningful improvements too, including the ability to see the +1’s and shares your posts have received since you last checked.
Simpler for Brands to Manage & Track Results
Google+ is not seeing its only customer as consumers. It is making accounts easier for brands to manage and track.
Now 50 employees can log in as the administrator. A new notification “flow” will ensure managers stay on top of what is new, allowing brands to stay involved in page conversations.
Also, brands can now get an accurate count of how many people interacted on their page, either by +1’ing it or being added to a circle.
Improved Photos
It’s a good thing Google+ has spent some time updating its photo Lightbox. After all, social media sites are the new photo albums.
Viewing a photo in Lightbox has been completely redesigned with improved navigation, enhanced comment legibility and better overall utility. This design makes the photo the hero, letting the content itself shine through. And we’re introducing a completely new photo-tagging experience that’s both fun and fluid, and lets you quickly focus on the people in your photos.
In the meantime, Facebook just launched its new timeline. Making a Facebook page more of a life collage of important posts, photos and milestones.
It will be interesting to see how Facebook, Google+ and even Myspace continue to co-exist. But it’s a little too early in this game of war to see who will come out the hero.
P.S. Check out Goolge+ latest TV commercial.
Orange: The Hot New Color for 2012
Say goodbye to last year’s hot-pink hue Honeysuckle. And say hello to Tangerine Tango, a reddish-orange hue that Pantone announced as the top color of 2012. This color is already making its way into consumer products from fashion to furniture and kitchen products.
Why Tangerine Tango? According to a news release from Pantone, “There’s the element of encouragement with orange, it’s building on the ideas of courage and action, that we want to move on to better things. I think it would be a disservice to go with a relaxed, soothing color now,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, the research division of Pantone Inc.
Selecting Tangerine Tango is not an arbitrary choice. Pantone takes into consideration what shoppers want and need. Also, they look at everything going on in the world from fashion to pop culture and consumer habits.
So let’s surround ourselves with a little pop of orange and hope we all gain a little more encouragement as we move into 2012!
Email Not Compatible with Mobile? You Can Be Missing Out.
Email is not dead. In fact, the way we view email is beginning to shift as more people use smart phones and tablet computers.
According to Knotice, a provider of direct digital marketing software and services, there was a 51% increase in the number of people viewing their email on mobile phones and tablets from the first half of 2011 compared to the last quarter of 2010.
As far as the breakdown of the type of mobile and tablet devises people are reading their emails on, the iPhone is king.
iPhone: 12.78%
iPad: 3.92%
Android: 3.15%
Palm: 0.22%
Windows: 0.05%
BlackBerry: 0.01%
Knotice also evaluated mobile email opens by industry segments. Consumer services had the highest (30.49%) mobile open rates among the 11 industries, followed by the entertainment industry (21.41%), cable and telecommunications (20.42%), hospitality (20.13%) and retail (20.07%). The B2B industry had the lowest mobile email open rate with 6.77%.
However, while the data reveals more people are opening emails on their mobiles and tablets, the rate of those clicking on links within the email is far lower than the desktop computer. For example, the click to open rate (measure of the click activity once a person opens the email) for consumer product emails on mobiles and tablets is 18.99%. This number almost doubles (29.17%) on desktop computers.
Regardless of the click to open rates, a 51% increase in reading email on mobiles and tablets is a tremendous jump in a short amount of time. This is something marketers need to take note of, and ensure emails are designed for mobile devises, tablets and desktop computers.
Knotice’s Mobile Email Opens Report: First Half of 2011 is based on a cross sampling of approximately 701 million emails across 11 industry segments during the first six months of 2011. Click here to download the full report.
Retailers Push Black Friday Limits
Retailers are hungry this year to meet holiday shopping sales goals. If seeing holiday decorations before Halloween wasn’t enough to prove this point, now the biggest shopping day of the year – Black Friday – is sneaking into our Turkey Day.
I was absolutely shocked when I received the Kohl’s mailer yesterday promoting the retailer opening at mid-night on Black Friday. But Kohl’s is not alone. Best Buy, Macy’s, Target and hhgregg are also opening at mid-night. Wal-mart will be opening at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving night and ToysRUs is opening at 9 p.m.
At this rate, spending the day with the family on Thanksgiving will soon be a thing of the past. On a more positive note, I guess you can start your holiday shopping after your Thanksgiving dessert with an extra cup of Joe to keep you going.
Also, don’t think you have to wait until the paper is delivered on Thanksgiving to see the Black Friday specials. There are many sites online that post the Black Friday ads.
http://www.theblackfriday.com/
http://www.2011blackfridayads.com/
http://www.blackfridaysales.com/
http://www.blackfriday2011.com/
Happy shopping!
When Consumers Respond, Listen
When united, consumers do have power. How corporations respond to their customer base can be the difference between retaining customers and losing them by the masses. Just take a look at these two very different situations.
Netflix
In July Netflix announced it would split the DVD and streaming video plans and charge $7.99 for each service. This increased the price from $9.99 per month to $15.98 per month, a whopping 60%. The plan was to split the businesses (DVD and streaming video) entirely and call the DVD rental business Qwikster.
Consumers revolted, but Netflix didn’t listen. The company lost 800,000 consumers in the 3rd quarter of 2011. An all time record for the company. And Qwikster appears to be dust in the wind.
In a letter to shareholders, Netflix acknowledged its mistake.
“$7.99 for unlimited streaming and $7.99 for unlimited DVD are both very aggressive low prices, relative to competition and to the value of the services, and they are the right place for Netflix to be in the long term. What we misjudged was how quickly to move there. We compounded the problem with our lack of explanation about the rising cost of the expansion of streaming content, and steady DVD costs, so that … many perceived us as greedy. Finally, we announced and then retracted a separate brand for DVD. While this branding incident further dented our reputation, and caused a temporary cancellation surge, compared to our price change, its impact was relatively minor.”
While Netflix is only considering the 800,000 customers it lost, let’s take a look at the broad impact this had on the brand. If each ex-customer told 3 friends, family members or co-workers how upset they were with the company, you are looking at 2.4 million people. Add in all the negative media coverage and you are looking at 100s of millions of people who have potentially been impacted.
Bank of America
Recently a number of banks, including Bank of America, informed consumers they would be charging a $5 monthly fee to debit card holders. For the record, I’m a Bank of America customer and never received direct communication from the bank that this was about to happen.
Nevertheless, word spread and consumers were furious. Bank of America, among other major lenders, including JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, decided to drop the fees. Certainly consumer uproar had an impact on these changes; however, competitive pressure and lawmakers certainly played a roll as well.
Other financial institutions were already starting to reach out and promote their free checking/debit card use. In fact, I received an email earlier this week about a no-cost option from a credit union. If BoA, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo continued to move forward, you better believe customers would be jumping ship.
Now certainly there are different aspects at play with each of these examples. However, one thing is for sure, consumers do have power. Companies need to be listening and responding when necessary.
Kitchen of the Future: Talking Refrigerators, Cordless Appliances & Energy Saving Dishwashers
Okay… Maybe Rosie from the Jetsons isn’t quite in our future yet.
However, at this year’s CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) trade show, new and future technologies forecasted to be in our kitchens soon does seem like something more out of the Jetsons.
Here’s a glimpse into what the kitchen of the future is forecasted to look like.
• Talking refrigerators: Samsung’s new refrigerator launched in early 2011 features a touch screen and access to apps – you can check the weather, update friends on your social networks and leave notes for the family – while you decide what to make for dinner tonight. However, that is far from how technology can enhance your refrigerator. CEDIA predicts in five short years, your refrigerator will complete a shopping list for you based on what has been used in your refrigerator.
• No more cords: Wireless inductive power is not expected to hit the market for another 6-12 months, but this technology can eliminate cords in your kitchen. Cordless blenders, cordless toasters, cordless electric knives… you can even charge your smart phone and tablet by just laying it on the countertop.
• Smart appliances: Your dishwasher, washer and dryer will soon be talking to your local energy company to run at “off peak” hours and help you achieve savings on your electric bill.
• No more window treatments: Dimmable windows have already been introduced in airplanes and luxury car sunroofs. Windows can be programmed to dim in the summer to reduce AC costs.
• Induction cook tops: Your countertop will become your cook top. With induction cooking, a high frequency magnetic field moves molecules back and forth rapidly creating friction. This causes the pan to become hot (the pan must have some steel in it to be a conductor). The benefit of induction cooking is 90% of the heat goes into the pan, saving energy.
The common thread for most of these new technologies is reducing energy use. While this benefits the consumer, it is more of governmental push. It will be interesting to see how consumers respond to when they should run their washer compared to when they need clean cloths.
More Spending, More Online Shopping and More Smartphone/Tablet Use Expected This Holiday Season
Each year the National Retail Federation conducts a survey with U.S. consumer about their anticipated holiday shopping behavior. This year, the three most important statistics consumer product companies and retailers should pay attention to are: consumers increasing spending on themselves, more consumers shopping online and increased use of smartphones and tablets to assist with holiday shopping.
1. Consumers Plan to Spend More on Themselves
This year the National Retail Federation’s 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey indicates consumers will spend less on holiday gifts, but plan to spend more on themselves. Holiday shoppers plan to spend an average of $704.18 on holiday gifts and seasonal products, down slightly from last year’s $718.98.
However, the NRF is still forecasting an overall 2.8% growth in holiday sales. This increase is anticipated because shoppers are planning to spend an average of $130.43 during the holiday season to take advantage of discounts for themselves and other family members. This is up $112.20 from last year.
2. Almost 50% of Americans Expected to Shop Online
According to the survey, online retailers should be prepared for an increase in sales. Almost half of shoppers (46.7%) will buy online. That is up from 43.9% last year. Also, the average holiday shopper plans to conduct 36% of their shopping online, whether it is comparing prices, researching products or making a purchase.
Additionally, these online shoppers plan to spend 22% more than the average adult. Adults 25-34 are the most active age group of holiday online shoppers This group expects to conduct 43.7% of their holiday shopping online.
3. More Than 50% of Smartphone and Tablet Owners will Use Devises to Shop
This is the first year the NRF and BIGresearch have asked shoppers about their intended use of smartphones and tablets . The results are not surprising.
Half (52.6%) of those who own a smartphone said they will use their device to help with holiday shopping:
• 31.0% will research products and/or compare prices
• 14.1% will purchase products
• 17.3% will redeem coupons
• 15.6% will use apps to research or purchase items
• 25.1% will look up a retailer’s information such as store hours and location
Tablet owners are even more likely to use their device to aid in their holiday shopping:
• 70.5% will research and shop using their tablet
• 50.8% will research products and/or compare prices
• 34.8% will actually make a purchase with their device
• 21.5% will redeem coupons
• 33.8% will look up retailer information
• 21% will use apps to research items or purchase products
The NRF 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the winter holidays. The survey polled 8,585 consumers and was conducted for NRF by BIGresearch October 4-11, 2011. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.
New CPG Product Removes Carpet Stains Without Lifting a Finger
Consumer product companies are always trying to find the next big solution. Bissell seems to have succeeded with its new Stomp‘N Go stain lifting pads. Bissell claims its Stomp’N Go pads will permanently remove tough set-in stains and leave carpet smelling fresh.
What a great name for a product that allows you to tear open the 
package, place the wet pad on the carpet stain, stomp on it to release the solution and walk away. According to the website, Stomp’N Go will remove tough stains, including: blood, pet messes, mud, cola, coffee, wine and juice.
Bissell never communicates the pads will “eliminate odors”. Just that it will leave the carpet “smelling fresh”. However, this is definitely a product worth trying and perfect for the holiday season.
Want to try it for yourself? Visit http://www.bissell.com/trymefree/ for a $5.99 mail-in rebate.
Amazon vs. Apple: Who Will Win?
Just yesterday, Amazon launched its first tablet computer – the Kindle Fire. So when a unique situation like Amazon taking on Apple occurs, it’s a great opportunity to evaluate how the new competitor is going to market.
Setting aside the technical aspects of the Kindle Fire and the iPad, and looking solely at the product positioning, here’s what we found.
Apple iPad2
Positioning: Thinner. Lighter. Faster. FaceTime. Smart Covers. 10-Hour Battery.
Once you pick up iPad 2, it’ll be hard to put down. That’s the idea behind the all-new design. It’s 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter, so it feels even more comfortable in your hands. And it makes surfing the web, checking email, watching movies, and reading books so natural, you might forget there’s incredible technology under your fingers.
Features/Benefits:
• Dual-core A5 chip. It’s fast, times two.
• Superfast graphics. Go gamers go.
• Battery life keeps on going. So you can too.
• Two cameras. And a big hello to FaceTime for iPad.
• iPad Smart Cover. Designed for iPad. And vice versa.
• LED-backlit display. The view is amazing.
• Multi-Touch. Everything’s at your fingertips.
• iOS4. The world’s most advanced mobile operating system.
• Instant on. The fun starts fast.
• Wi-Fi and 3G. Two great ways to stay connected.
• Gyro, accelerometer, and compass. iPad knows your every move.
• AirPlay. Your movie-photo-music stream.
• Video mirroring. What you do is what they see.
• Airprint. Print everything wirelessly.
Price: starting at $499
Kindle Fire 
Positioning: Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon’s revolutionary, cloud-accelerated web browser
Features/Benefits:
• Stunning color touch screen
• Magazines in rich color
• Beautifully simple and easy to use
• 100,000 movies and TV shows
• Fast, dual-core processor
• Your favorite apps and games
• Ultra-fast web browsing – Amazon Silk
• Millions of books
• Free cloud storage
• Your favorite children’s books
• Easy to hold in one hand
• 17 million songs
• Extra durable display
• Email
• Amazon Whispersync
• Free month of Amazon Prime
• Read your documents
Price: $199
Our Take
This discussion could be flawed from the start. It is possible that the Apple iPad cannot be compared with the Kindle Fire because the iPad is much more focused on functionality and design.
Plus it is highly possible – based on price – Amazon is targeting a completely different sector of the market than Apple. Amazon could be targeting consumers who want more than an e-reader, but not a robust, fancy tablet.
Finally, the Kindle Fire is much more focused on movies, apps, games, music, and reading. This is likely not a product positioning strategy, but based more on a revenue stream.
According to a Marketplace report “Sarah Rotman Epps, a tech analyst with Forrester Research, says Amazon may be selling the Fire at a loss. That’s because the online retailer wants the Fire is to function mainly as a virtual shopping cart.” A shopping cart for books, music, TV shows, movies, magazines and the kitchen sink!
Got Monsters Under Your Bed? Yes… There’s a Solution.
Working in the consumer products industry nothing really surprises me. However, when I saw the product, “Bye Bye Monster”, I was completely baffled. Really… a product that gets kids to believe there are no more monsters under their bed?
Are your kids afraid of monsters? Do monsters keep them (and you) up at night? 73% of all children ages 4-12 struggle from some form of nighttime fear. Many of those children are convinced that a monster is in their room. ByeByeShop.com has the solution for kids afraid of monsters. Why let your kids spend one more night being afraid of monsters? Let us help you calm their fears and make those monsters disappear!
My first reaction was… is this real? And as parents are we feeding into our children’s fear and making them believe that a simple spray will solve all the world’s problems?
However, the more I thought about it the more I really liked this product. In fact, this is the type of product marketing professionals love to get their hands on. The product lends itself to creativity. And it’s pitching made easy… telling bloggers and media you have a solution for monsters under the bed will at least get your message heard.
After all, our parents lied to us about Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and thunderstorms. So certainly a little “Bye Bye Monster” couldn’t hurt our youth.
Seen any interesting, crazy or bizarre consumer products recently? Share you experience in the comments section.
How CPG Companies Can Reap the Benefits of PSAs
PSAs are not just for non-profit organizations. According to Ray Salo who pioneered the concept of “co-sponsored” PSAs, deregulation during the Regan administration provided a key opportunity for for-profit organizations to “co-sponsor” PSAs. For the last 10 years, Salo Productions has been developing co-sponsored PSAs that allow for-profit brands to increase awareness by acting as a credible source for the public on a key topic.
Intrigued by this marketing strategy, we sat down with Ray to evaluate how CPG companies can benefit from “co-sponsored” PSAs.
Q: What is a “co-sponsored” PSA?
A: A for-profit brand can partner with a non-profit and develop and distribute a PSA. For example, a search engine company co-sponsored a PSA with Web Wise Kids to promote Internet safety for children. The Internet safety PSA achieved more than 4,000 confirmed telecasts across the country.
This model is really a win-win-win. The non-profit gets a free ride. The for-profit organization builds brand and the TV or radio station receives good quality content they can share with viewers/listeners.
Q: What was the most successful “co-sponsored” PSA you produced/distributed?
A: “Two Causes of Asthma”, created for the Asthma & Allergy Foundation and a pharmaceutical company, is a great example of how successful “co-sponsored” PSAs can be.
The PSA aired on CNBC, MSNBC and the USA Network during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. This PSA was aired 60,346 times, reached 131 million viewers and achieved $663,000 of airtime. The total cost of the PSA development and distribution was less than $45,000.
Q: How do you track results of the PSAs (how often it is played, what markets, audience reach, etc.)?
A: There are two methods we use to track the results. First, we use Neilson Sigma electronic tracking. This allows us to verify what station uses the PSA, how many times it is aired and when it is aired.
The second form of tracking is through BRCs (broadcast report cards). We ask the individual stations to complete and send us back a report of how many times they used the PSA. Surprisingly, the stations are very responsive to this.
Also, companies and non-profits can track website traffic based on when the PSA aired.
Q: What is one major misconception that exists about PSAs?
A: Besides the fact that people think PSAs can only be developed by non-profits, another major misconception is that PSAs air when no one is watching TV, or listening to the radio. In fact, 80% of PSAs are telecast from the time Good Morning America starts to the end of David Letterman, with morning, mid-morning, mid-day and early evening use. Only 20% occur “late night” from 1 a.m to 5 a.m.
Q: What is the typical time line of when a station receives a PSA to when it is aired? Also, how long will stations typically air a PSA?
A: It typically takes about a week from when a station receives a PSA to when it will begin airing. Also, on average PSAs will air for about 6 months, with the majority (about 75%) of telecasts occuring in the first 3 months. The remaining 25% of telecasts air the following 3 months.
Q: Can you target geographic regions with PSAs?
A: Absolutely. If you want to hit specific markets, then we simply focus on distributing the PSA to those markets.
Q: How has the success of PSAs been impacted by the current economic conditions? How will the 2012 political race, at a time when more advertising occurs, affect the success of PSAs?
A. Typically when companies are spending less on advertising, PSA use is up because stations still have to fill that time. PSA use is up about 20% from when the Great Recession started in 2008.
While more advertising tends to occur during key political races, like the presidential race in 2012, I really do not anticipate that PSA use will drop more than 5%. This is not a significant enough drop to really affect any marketers’ decisions to not use PSAs as a marketing strategy.
The only time I advise clients to not distribute PSAs is from November 1 to December 31, unless their message ties in during the holidays.
Consumer Shopping Trends Driving Retailer Changes
Changes occurring at Target and Walgreens directly effect consumer packaged good manufacturers.
Target Seeing Positive Sales Results from Addition of Fresh Foods
Target’s 2nd quarter profits rose 3.7%. The company credits the increase to adding fresh food to its stores. Target said sales rose from more consumers consolidating shopping trips at its location.
In contrast Walmart has experienced a ninth straight quarter of negative same store sales. While Walmart has said it is seeing sequential monthly improvements, consumers are purchasing smaller pack sizes of products.
However, not all consumers are tightening their budgets. Target is seeing some of its consumers trading up to higher end brands like Smith & Hawken and Fieldcrest.
“Across all of retail, the 20% of households with the highest incomes are shopping more often and spending more, while the other 80% have been cutting trips and spending less,” said Target’s merchandising chief Kathy Tesija on a conference call. “Some of these trends are visible in our own results.”
Target’s core customer has a median household income of $55,000. Some analysts have said Walmart’s core customer has a household income in the low $40,000s.
Walgreens to Create More Competition for CPG Companies
Walgreens has consolidated its store brands and introduced a 
new private label brand – Nice! Nice! will include more than 400 high quality grocery and household products at prices up to 30% below other national brands, according to a news release from Walgreens.
The new Walgreens’ brand will start appearing on store shelves in early 2012. It will feature non-conventional drug store brands, including soups, bakery, tea and rice.
According to A.C. Nielsen data, total private brand sales in the U.S. have increased from $64.9 billion in 2005 to $88.5 billion in 2010. The fastest growing store brand consumer segment is households with incomes more than $100,000.
Establish Product Credibility to Increase Sales
As a marketer, determining consumer-purchasing behavior is key. For example, is it third party media or blogger coverage that drives purchases? Is it price? Celebrity endorsement? Referrals? Advertising? Social media? Direct marketing?
I’m constantly evaluating my own consumer buying behaviors to help shed some light, like a recent Thundershirt purchase for our dog Monty.
Monty has developed a terrible phobia of thunderstorms, and it is only getting worse. We find her hiding in our utility room shelving unit or in my closet. The poor dog is so distraught she starts panting and shaking even if she hears a drop of rain.
I was talking to my friend Sarah one day about Monty’s behavior. She recommended the Thundershirt even though she hadn’t used the product. I considered looking it up online, but never took the initiative. Then my father-in-law mentioned it a few weeks later and sent me the web address.
The first thing I looked at on the website, was the price and media coverage of the product. Since I was a little leery this product would actually work, I also read the testimonials from dog owners, trainers and veterinarians.
But what ultimately got me to pull the trigger was Thundershirt’s guarantee policy. The company allows you to send the product back for a full refund (less S&H) within 45 days. I don’t like to be “duped” as a consumer even if the price is low, and this made for TV product had me a little skeptical. So the guarantee made the purchase a little less risky and ensured me the Thundershirt wasn’t going to be our next dust collector.
While we are still waiting for a storm to test the Thundershirt, analyzing my purchasing behavior for this particular product provided yet another example of the power of referrals and third party credibility. Whether it be customers, media, bloggers, consumers and/or experts, establishing credibility – especially for a new product manufactured by an unknown brand – is a necessary marketing strategy.
Despite Economy Consumers Continue to Seek Customized Products
From pink KitchenAid blenders to colorful tissue boxes and Toy Story Band-Aids, customizing consumer products is nothing new. However, even in light of the economic challenges, consumers are still willing to pay a bit more for commodity products that bring a touch of personalization to their world.
Two recent products that caught my attention are “designer” garbage bags and toilet paper covers. Two products you never know you needed until you see how fun they can be.
Dress the Mess: Sick of looking at the ugly black or white garage bag hanging out of your wastebasket. DesignerLiners offers various patterns of garbage bags from blue leopard to pink polka dots (and they are biodegradable). Plus you can even customize them with your company logo or family crest. Now throwing out the trash never has to be boring again.
Respect the Roll: Cottonelle has lunched toilet paper roll 
covers in various designs. Too bad my grandmother did see this market coming. She could have made a killing with her crocheted TP covers. Conttonelle is currently using the Roll Covers as a promo. You can get yours free with the purchase of a 12 pack (or larger) of Cottonelle Clean Care Toilet Paper.
Plus Conttonelle is having a little fun with their “Respect the Roll” campaign. Check out “Where the Sun Don’t Shine Tribune”, which has been absorbing news since 1996.
Survey Says: Consumers LOVE Their Kitchen Products
With hundreds of kitchen products on the market and only so much room in consumers’ cabinets, Sweeney set out to discover just what kitchen product categories consumers are most aware of, what they actually own and their purchase intent.
What this survey clearly indicated is consumers love their kitchen products! When asked about their favorite kitchen product, 100% of respondents answered the question and the majority even knew the brand name. Responses ranged from kitchen necessities like knives, blenders, toasters, coffee makers, microwaves and mixing bowls to more unique products like an onion saver to Pampered Chef food chopper, Zylus ice cream scoop and Breville panini press.
It will come as no surprise consumers own kitchen products that are a necessity, with 93.0% of respondents owning pots and pans and 87.6% owning bakeware. Less popular products included food scales (28.3%), pressure cooker (18.4%), oven liners (9.7%) and BBQ grill matt (5.3%). The less popular kitchen products could be due to lack of category awareness.
Similar to the products most consumers owned, 28.1% of participants plan to purchase pots and pans and 21.1% plan to purchase cookware over the next year. Pressure cookers (3.5%) and oven liners (3.4%) are the least likely kitchen tools to be purchased. These results likely reflect the economic conditions.
When it comes to brand awareness in the kitchen, Calphalon was the most popular, followed by OXO. Foxrun, Fissler, Norpro, Taylor and Range Kleen had the least amount of brand awareness among survey respondents.
Sweeney conducted the survey online with a representative database of 150 consumers. A total of 114 consumers completed the survey [86 females/28 males, 57 age 35 and younger/57 age 36 and older].
If you have any questions about this survey, please contact me at jennifer at sweeneypr.com.
How Many Social Networks is Too Many?
Just recently Toyota announced it is building a private social network, “Toyota Friend”, for its customers. Toyota Friend connects Toyota customers with their cars, their dealership and with Toyota. It will first be offered in Japan in Toyota’s electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) in 2012.
There are two purposes of Toyota Friend.
1. Customer Relationship Manager: According to Toyota, Toyota Friend will provide a variety of product and service information as well as essential maintenance tips, creating a rich car ownership experience. For example, if an EV or PHV is running low on battery power, Toyota Friend would notify the driver to re-charge in the form of a “tweet”-like alert.
2. Friend & Family Communication: While Toyota Friend will be a private social network, customers can choose to extend their communication to family, friends, and others through public social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The service will also be accessible through smart phones, tablet PCs, and other advanced mobile devices.
While this is a very smart move on Toyota’s part and it is likely that other auto manufacturers will follow suit, how many social network is too many? Currently, we have public, semi-private and private social networks.
For example, there are customer communities for peer-to-peer customer support, healthcare patient communities, government campaign communities, communities that support specific professional and personal interest groups like marketing or running, corporate social networks for employees, health related communities for people with specific conditions (diabetes, cancer, etc. ). And the list goes on and on.
But when will the consumer marketplace get overwhelmed with public, semi-private and private social networks? How many social networks can people actively belong too and participate in? This answer is yet to be known. But just like any other marketing strategies, as long as the social network offers value to its participants, it is likely to be successful.
A Daily Dose of Comic Relief
Having a bad day? Need a good chuckle. Check out these commercials.
Biz Markie’s is back and he’s got what you need.
A product you never knew you needed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHTPAx9_g2s
Red House Furniture forgets about orange, green, purple and brown people.
Sharks & Jellyfish & a 10 Mile Solo Swim! Oh My!
When Leanne LaFave, a triathlon-training buddy, told me she was going to do a 10-mile solo swim in the Intracoastal Waterway this summer, I thought she was crazy. Five hours in jellyfish infested waters; what was she thinking?
Even though Leanne will be the first person to do this on August 13, 2011, there was no doubt in her mind that she can complete the swim. Her goal is to raise $18,000 for ZOE Ministry, an organization dedicated to transforming the lives of African children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, war, disease, famine and other causes.
“I participated in a mission trip to Africa for ZOE Ministry in 2006 that was life-changing,” said Leanne. “Ever since I interacted with these children on my mission trip, I have been brainstorming ways to continue helping ZOE Ministry. What better way to do that than combine my love for swimming with raising awareness and funds for ZOE.” 
This funding will offer 60-80 orphans training and access to resources in farming, animal husbandry, small business, health and hygiene, HIV/AIDS prevention, housing, education and child rights. The skills these orphans learn will give them the ability to pull themselves out of poverty in 2-3 years.
Her story was so compelling that I jumped at the opportunity to help her increase awareness. It has been one of the most rewarding non-profit experiences I have been involved in. I love telling her story to media, who have been excited to cover it.
Her passion and drive for completing the swim is relentless. She never complains about the hours of swimming she puts in each week or all the speaking engagements, committee meetings or fundraising efforts. It is amazing what people can do when they are inspired and passionate for a cause.
Want to learn more, follow Leanne’s blog or donate? Visit www.icw10.com.
Promoting without Gloating
It is certainly easy to continue to beat your chest and tell your customers and prospects how amazing you are, what contracts you won, what awards you won and how much your customers love you. But typically this type of communication is only good in moderation. Customers want to know they are working with an industry leader or a successful company, but too much of a good thing can be overkill.
So how do you promote your company without constantly gloating? I recently received an email from iContact thanking us for our loyalty and feedback. At first glace it seemed like a heartfelt thank you. However, the more I read it the more I realized iContact was using this as an opportunity to communicate its accomplishments, including its expanding client roaster, upgraded technology and its Inc. 500 rating.
The message was carefully crafted and it did an excellent job of communicating iContact’s accomplishments without beating its chest too much.
Dear Jennifer,
On behalf of the entire iContact™ Family, I want to personally thank you for your continued loyalty and feedback throughout the year.
You and over 65,000 other customers have again made us the number one fastest growing email marketing company in the SMB market and a member of the Inc. 500 list.
As you are probably aware, over the last several months iContact has greatly enhanced its product by adding new features and functionalities such as:
- iPhone and Android applications
- Our new MessageBuilder™ for creating beautiful email messages
- More customized templates
- iContact for Salesforce
The response from our customer base has been overwhelmingly positive.
Our development efforts are driven by the knowledge that email marketing continues to generate the greatest return on investment. Email provides the most effective targeted and
personalized customer marketing. No other marketing channel allows for such easy, targeted and absolute customer tracking.
If you are not taking full and frequent advantage of email marketing, you are missing out on a tremendous opportunity to gain, educate and retain customers. Check out our newest
features.
Have an immediate need? Call 1.866.803.9462 or contact our support team.
Cheers,
Ryan Allis, Co-Founder and CEO
Email Marketing
5 Considerations Before Diving Into Daily Deals
The daily deal industry has exploded over the past couple years. The industry is estimated to be worth $1.25 billion, and according to Bloomberg, Groupon will seek an initial public offering of about $20 billion. Also, sites like Groupon and LivingSocial have become so popular now Facebook, Google, Amazon, and AT&T are jumping on the bandwagon.
So with the daily deal market all a buzz, should local and national businesses be taking advantage of the opportunity? As with any marketing strategy, it all depends on your goals and your target audiences. Below are five points to consider prior to implementing a daily deal.
1. Document your goals and expectations: If you do this upfront, it will ensure you have a benchmark to measure the campaign. Also, share your goals and expectations directly with the daily deal sales associate to determine if your goals/expectations are realistic, and if he/she can provide case studies of similar services/products that achieved similar goals.
2. Identify the demographics: The demographics of the daily deal sites are pretty similar. For example, both Groupon and LivingSocial reach mostly females who are 35 years old and below, well educated and are making $50K plus. This clearly explains why spa services tend to do well.
In fact, according to an article in Forbes magazine (August 20, 2010), one of Groupon’s most successful sales was a 90-minute hot stone massage at SpellBound BodyWork in Chicago. The retail price was $220, Groupon price was $55, and they sold a whooping 4,960 stone massages.
You can find the demographics here for LivingSocial and Groupon.
3. What markets does the daily deal site reach: This sounds like a given, but if you are conducting a national campaign and your goal is to drive traffic to specific locations, check to ensure the markets you are targeting have subscribers. While the major markets are typically covered by both LivingSocial and Groupon, Groupon has about 2.5 times the subscribers than LivingSocial does.
4. Can you handle the demand? Certainly you cannot expect to win big like the spa in Chicago did; however, be sure you can handle an increase in product or service sales. The last thing you want is to disappoint first time customers, because they will more than likely not be back.
5. Develop a marketing strategy for daily deal customers: This is hands down the most important aspect of conducting a daily deal. It is imperative to develop a strategy to increase sales from your daily deal customers AND convert them to loyal customers. If you don’t achieve repeat business, then you are likely never recouping your costs from the first sale. Consider things like offering daily deal customers an incentive to join your email database, upgrade options to their original purchase or developing a specific price structure for daily deal customers for their second and/or third purchases. After all, you already know these customers like deals and are probably not willing to pay $220 for a stone message when they got it for $55!
A Simple Memorial Day Thank You
This past year has been a difficult one for both my husband and myself as he defended our country on his second tour to Afghanistan from mid-2010 – early 2011. I can honestly say that our lives have been changed forever, probably more so his than mine.
As we were filling our calendar this week with Memorial Day plans, it hit me that I had avoided reflecting on the true meaning of Memorial Day. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the troops, families, friends, non-profits and companies who support our brave men and women, and recognize those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
In memory of my husband’s friends, we will never forget their courage and dedication to our country:
Capt Phillip Dykeman, USMC
Capt John Maloney, USMC
1st Lt Joshua Palmer, USMC
SSG Kyle Wehrly, USA
SSgt Joshua Cullins, USMC
Sgt Garrett Misener, USMC
Sgt Michael Roy, USMC
Sgt Joshua Frazier, USMC
Sgt Joseph Bovia, USMC
Sgt Frank R. Zaehringer III, USMC
HM3 James Swink II, USMC
Cpl Carlos Gilorozco, USMC
Cpl Brett Lundstorm, USMC
SPC Daniel Sesker, USA
Cpl Joshua Synder, USMC
Cpl John Bishop, USMC
Cpl Stephen Sockalosky, USMC
Cpl Jacob Tate, USMC
LCpl Joseph Giese, USMC
LCpl Maung Htaik, USMC
LCpl Terry Honeycutt Jr., USMC
LCpl Dakota Huse, USMC
LCpl Michael Geary, USMC
LCpl Timothy Jackson, USMC
LCpl Joshua Twigg, USMC
LCpl Kyle Brown, USMC
LCpl Joshua Scott, USMC
Branding Doesn’t End With the Marketing Department
Lush, a manufacturer and retailer of fresh handmade cosmetics, serves up a very powerful brand experience when you visit their retail stores. I was just at a Chicago store in April and had the opportunity to visit a Philadelphia store this week to stock up on my favorite Lush products. My recent experience at both stores was very much the same.
Not only are the employees excellent sales associates, but they are very well educated on the products. They openly share their favorite Lush products and once they determine what you like, they immediately rush you to the sink and the product testing begins.
The sink is where the magic seems to happen. Sales associates lather you up with the latest soap or scrub and you get to experience what makes Lush products so fabulous. On my most recent visit, the sales associate applied Ocean Salt Cleanser to one of my hands. As soon as my hand was dry she told me to compare it to my other hand, and just like that I was sold. The Ocean Salt Cleanser made my skin feel softer and actually look brighter.
The sales associates court you throughout the entire store and share information about what’s in the products and why it’s good for your skin. While this can sometimes be overwhelming, the Lush store employees strike a balance between shopping with your best friend, being passionate brand ambassador and a good sales associate.
Their passion seems to override the fact that they are up selling you on almost everything you are buying. And I’m sure the longer they keep you in the store the more likely you are to spend more money.
Shopping at Lush is truly a brand experience and something the company has worked very hard to perfect from store design to employee and customer interaction. If you never had the opportunity to visit Lush, stop in next time and experience how the company’s employees serve as its front line brand ambassadors. It is clearly a reminder that branding doesn’t end with the marketing department.
American Express Direct Mail Secrets Revealed
This year I started taking note that my husband and I have been bombarded with direct mail from American Express. It seemed like once a week the pieces were coming in and there was typically a slightly different twist on the offer.
So I started saving each piece to compare the approaches. While some of what I saw was direct marketing 101, it was helpful to be on the receiving end and determine what we can learn from a company that clearly has direct mail down to a science.
Envelope: American Express started selling on the front and back of the envelop. Each envelope was used to highlight the offer, and even provided a call to action.
Different offers: Each direct mail piece offered a different incentive to become a customer from cash back, to gift cards and travel bonus points. Since American Express doesn’t know what offer we might respond to, they change the incentive each time with the hopes they will eventually hit our sweet spot.
Consistency: Within a 3-month time frame, we have received at least five mailings. American Express has consistently stayed in front of us and their approach is working. In fact, I just asked my husband the other day if he thinks we should get an American Express card.
Multiple pieces: Each mailing included at least 2 pieces of mail, the majority of them actually had 3. It is certainly harder to ignore more components. Plus it demands a little more of the recipient’s time to sift through the pieces.
Scanable headlines: No matter the offer, each piece had scanable headlines, bullets, sidebars, bolded copy and all capital letters drawing attention to the benefits and offer. In less than 5 seconds the recipient can get a quick overview.
Clear call to action with a deadline: All the pieces have various calls to action. “Apply now at …”, “Apply today and bring on the rewards,” “Get a decision in as little as 60 seconds, visit…” Also, each direct mail piece had a different deadline associated with it so the recipient was encouraged to act sooner than later.
P.S.: Every letter had a “P.S.” at the bottom.
Trackable results: Each letter contained a different toll-free number so American Express can track what offer the recipient is responding to. Also, a unique RSVP code was provided on each letter.
Next time you need some ideas for your direct mail campaign, look no further than your own mail box.
Why Media is Ignoring You
Just because media does not respond, does not mean the media contacts are not interested in your message. In fact, there are numerous reasons why media may not respond to your news release, pitch, press kit, etc.
1. Too much to review; not enough time: Media receive hundreds of emails, phone calls, voicemails, envelops and faxes a day. It is impossible for media to respond to every single piece of communication they receive, whether they are interested or not. Otherwise, they would never meet deadlines.
2. Not a fit for their beat: Your news release or pitch may not be the best fit for their beat. While media database programs like Vocus, BurrellesLuce and Cision help identify beats, their contacts are not 100% accurate (in most cases they are only about 50% accurate). Also, in light of all the media layoffs and publication closings, reporters are taking on additional beats or new beats. The most effective way to ensure you have the best contact is to double-check the news outlets’ website or simply call to confirm the contact.
3. Holding for future use: Media often hold onto news releases, media kits, pitches, etc. for future use. Perhaps the information might be a good fit for an industry round-up story. Or your story is “evergreen” and can wait. One way to reduce this from happening is to tie your story into current events, holidays, seasons, etc.
4. No additional information needed: This is a good scenario because it confirms all the important facts were included in your media communication. Also, reporters often do not have time to conduct interviews or chase down pertinent information, especially when they already have what they need.
5. Did not receive release, press kit or pitch: Spam filters are the biggest culprits. Be sure your email communication does not include spam words. Check http://workyourleads.net/archives/82 for a list of words that trigger spam filters. Other forms of communication like faxes and even snail mail can get lost in the sea of paper media receive.
6. Email subject line or headline wasn’t interesting: The media have very limited time and are typically on deadline. Therefore, they scan email subject lines and news release and pitch headlines to determine if they should read on. Be sure your email subject lines, news release and pitch headlines are short, catchy and relevant.
7. Not interested in your story: Sometimes you may have what you think is the best story, but the media contact is just not that interested for one reason or another. However, keep in mind that just because one media outlet is not interested, does not mean another reporter will not bite. Different media are interested in different stories at different times.
Did Corona Start Cinco de Mayo?
Happy Cinco de Mayo! But what are we actually celebrating besides excellent Mexican fare, Coronas, margaritas, tequila and a big hangover on May 6?
Cinco de Mayo celebrates the legendary Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, in which a Mexican force of 4,500 men faced 6,000 well-trained French soldiers. The battle lasted four hours and ended in a victory for the Mexican army under Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza. Along with Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16, Cinco de Mayo has become a time to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture.
So why is Cinco de Mayo such a big holiday in America?
There is a conspiracy theory that Cinco de Mayo was created by 
Corona to increase the beer’s U.S. market share. Supposedly a Henieken distributor started a rumor that the FDA found traces of urine in Corona. In order to increase declining sales caused by the rumor, Corona started marketing Cinco de Mayo because it was a day Americans would happily drink Mexican beer.
Of course, there is nothing to confirm Corona started increasing the popularity of Cinco de Mayo; however, I will not argue that American’s like excuses to party. A prime example of this was college campuses the night Obama announced Bin Laden was dead.
However, the increasing interest in Cinco de Mayo probably has something more to do with the growing Hispanic population in the U.S., which marketers have been taking note of for years.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population has surpassed 50 million and accounted for more than half of the 27.3-million population increase in the last decade. And the Hispanic population is expected to continue growing. According to the Pew Research Center, the Hispanic population in the U.S will triple by 2050, making up almost a third (29%) of the total U.S. population.
No matter the reason you believe Cinco de Mayo became popular, join in the Mexican heritage and culture festivities and crack open a nice cold Mexican beer.
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!
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.
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.
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/
Abercrombie & Fitch Has No Shame
I was just thinking the other day about Abercrombie. What use to be a big name in clothing for tweens and teens seems to have fallen by the wayside. I considered the fact that I was just too old to care about the brand, but then the news report on Abercrombie selling push-up bikinis for 7-year-olds confirmed my thinking.
In my opinion Abercrombie felt they were falling off the map and needed a publicity stunt to get their brand back in the news. The company has never been afraid of controversy, using half dressed models at their storefronts and in catalogs.
The news has broke about the retailer’s push-up bikinis and parents are appalled. Exactly what the retailer was probably hoping for as its target audience’s, tweens/teens, natural tendency is to rebel and do the opposite of what their parents say.
Abercrombie’s response to this attention was simply “We’ve re-categorized the Ashley swimsuit as padded. We agree with those who say it is best ‘suited’ for girls age 12 and older.” This certainly isn’t an apology, but rather appears a very calculated action. After all you can clean up a pig, put a ribbon on its tail, spray it with perfume, but it is still a pig!
5 Questions You Should Never Ask a Journalist
Every relationship with a journalist is unique and specific to his or her preferences. However, no matter the situation, there are certain questions you should NEVER ask media. But that does not mean you can’t get your message across. It is all about learning how to say it better.
1. Did you get my news release?
Aside from the fact that this question does nothing but waste media’s time, it could turn out even worse when you get only a simple yes or no response. Just because a journalist confirms he or she received your news release there is no guarantee he or she will cover your story.
Instead try: We recently sent you a news release announcing [XYZ company did something newsworthy] and wanted to see if this type of news is of interest to your publication. This does two things: It provides an opportunity to confirm the journalist received your news and gives you a chance to find out if the journalist is interested in pursuing the story.
2. Since you will not cover my story can I speak with your editor or another journalist?
Even if you have an interesting and excellent story to share, the changing nature of the media business makes it difficult to reach the correct contact 100 percent of the time. If you feel your story is important or has another angle, do not give up, but don’t be rude to the person you first made contact with.
Instead try: Thank you for your feedback. Do you know of anyone else at your publication/station who might have an interest in this story? Not only does this establish you as a resource for future communications, but when you contact the new journalist, you can open with a referral from one of their co-workers.
3. Will you write a feature article about my product/service/company? When?
Unless you are launching the next generation iPhone, a journalist needs a relevant and timely context for your company’s story.
Instead try: We noticed several recent articles in your publication focusing on XYZ trend. Our company president can offer excellent insight as to how that trend is affecting the market and how specifically our company is reacting. Would you be interested in setting up an interview to learn more? This lets journalist know you are familiar with what they write, understand what is important to their readers and your company can add something new to the story. Once the interview is scheduled, it is your spokesperson’s job to communicate a compelling story about the company.
4. Can I review that article before it goes to print?
Some media will offer the opportunity to review articles or quotes for accuracy. If you get the chance, always take it and offer feedback only on content/accuracy – not the journalist’s writing style. However, keep in mind that media coverage is not the same as a paid ad and no one has the right to ask to review and correct a journalist’s work before it is published except the editor.
Instead: Prepare your message in advance and ensure accuracy. If it is a phone interview, develop talking points and keep them in front of you during the interview. For simple news announcements, triple check news releases and pitch letters for accuracy before distributing to media.
5. Can I get a copy of the story you wrote?
It’s a reporter’s job to write the story, not mail it to you.
Instead try: We are very excited to see the article you wrote. Can you tell me what issue you anticipate it will appear in so we can pick up a few copies? Often when you approach the question this way, a reporter will offer to send you several copies of the magazine directly or introduce you to a circulation manager who can do the same.
Maximizing National Television Coverage
Our product is going to be featured on a national DIY show. How can we ensure we maximize this opportunity?
Getting national TV coverage is a major accomplishment and using that coverage to further your product’s credibility is an excellent strategy for continuing to maximize the opportunity.
There are a number of ways to take further advantage of the TV coverage.
1. If the segment hasn’t aired yet, ensure you get proper credit during the show. Ask if the DIY network will mention the website address, include the logo, show product packaging, etc. Sometimes networks have specific guidelines on what they can and cannot do. Therefore, talk with the producer to find out what you can do.
Keep in mind that working with a television show compared to media is very different. Television shows/networks typically do not follow the same guidelines journalists do. For example, journalists do not accept product over a specific dollar amount, they have to deliver a balanced story, etc.
2. Ask the producer if you can get a video clip of the segment. If not, you can typically get a clip of the segment from a video monitoring company. Once you get the video clip include it on your website and post it to your YouTube channel, as well as distribute it to retail buyers, non-competitive media, your email database, and use it at trade shows.
3. Include a tag on your home page with the show’s logo and a date of the airing.
4. Tweet and post Facebook messages about your product being featured on the television show. Break up the messages into different posts throughout the process. For example, today the DIY network is filming our product for a June [show name] episode.
5. If you are on set for the shoot, take photos and post those on your website, Twitter and Facebook pages.
6. Ask while you are on set if they know any of the other producers at the DIY network who might also be interested your product. Get their name and contact information.
7. Let the producer of the show know about additional products you manufacturer that might be of interest. It is possible they would consider those for a future segment.
8. Write and distribute a news release following the airing of the show with a clip of the segment.
The benefits of national television coverage include your product achieves credibility with a third-party, you gain product awareness and continue building the brand of your company/product. So the more you can maximize the coverage, the more benefits you will achieve.
Rubbermaid Nails Problem Based Marketing with Easy Find Lids Launch
Problem based marketing is a very effective way of selling products to customers. This strategy involves knowing the problem your customer/prospect has, introducing a solution and effectively communicating that solution with your customers/prospects.
This seems like a simple marketing 101 strategy that almost doesn’t deserve a blog post, yet so many times the message falls flat. This can occur for a number of reasons, including: the problem is not clearly communicated, the customer/prospect doesn’t really see value in solving the problem or the solution doesn’t solve the problem in the customer/prospects’ minds.
Just this morning I came across Rubbermaid’s new Easy Find Lids, which is a 
great example of problem based marketing. Last night when packing lunches, I was fumbling around in my cabinet trying to find the lids to different size containers. No matter how organized I think I am, this is a nightly occurrence when putting away dinner leftovers and packing lunches.
So when I saw the name of Rubbermaid’s new product “Easy Find Lids” in a news article it caught my attention. I then went to Rubbermaid’s website to learn more. In just a few short sentences I was immediately sold.
“Tired of digging around for lids? Then the Easy Find Lids storage system is for you. Its lids snap to each other and to the container bases so you can find the right lid, right now.”
It seems like the message was specifically created for me and I will certainly be looking for the product next time I’m at the store. The Rubbermaid Easy Finds Lids is a great example of how knowing and understanding your customer/prospects and positioning products in a way that truly delivers solutions can help sell more products/services.
Knowing When to Apply for Industry Awards
Industry awards and accolades can add credibility to your brand and establish your company’s position as category leader. While it is a nice surprise to be notified of an award or recognition without applying, many programs require a thorough application process to even be considered.
How can you quickly identify which awards are worth your time and which are just worthless? Below are key questions to ask when deciding if you should devote the time to applying for an industry award or recognition.
1. Is the award credible? Consider how long this award has been around, which company is sponsoring it and how important it is to other industry leaders. Check the website for past winners; are they brands you recognize? Admire? Aspire to be like?
2. Do my customers care? Take some time to do a bit of research. Are competitive past winners calling attention to the award on their website, in a news release or in ads and other marketing materials? Are customers in your target audience talking about the award, the ceremony or past winners with merit on blogs, forums, Twitter or Facebook?
3. How does the focus of the award align with my marketing goals and key messages? Perhaps the focus is on innovative product design, and your goal is to position your product as such. Perfect fit, and it sounds like you will be a contender. But don’t waste time applying for eco-friendly awards when the best idea you can submit is a corporate recycling program. Ask yourself if you can make a strong case as an entrant and whether winning the award fits into your larger marketing plan.
4. Will the award support additional business objectives? Will winners have the opportunity to network with potential customers at a ceremony or event? Is the recognition something key consumer and trade media outlets would be interested in? Can this accolade act as a key selling point in a sales presentation?
5. Is there an entry fee? It is common for a reasonable entry fee to be associated with an award application. In fact, nominal fees may indicate a certain degree of formality – like a third-party judges panel – that add to an award’s credibility. Extremely high entry fees for awards that fail to deliver any tangible benefits should raise a red flag. On the flip side, a free application shouldn’t be an automatic invitation to throw your hat in the ring. The key is weigh the benefits you will achieve with a win versus the cost of entry.
While there is no exact combination of correct answers to the questions above, they should all factor into your final decision of whether to apply for an industry award. Ultimately, the decision is about whether the time and effort you put into the process will yield results that add value to your business.
Housewares Show Recap: Cupcakes & Shopping Carts
Earlier this week I was at the International Home and Housewares show where 2,000 exhibitors displayed their hottest products for 21,000 U.S. and international retail buyers and 60,000 professional attendees. The show is packed with innovative products from LED light bulbs to green cleaning products, modular furniture, trashcans, coffee makers, reusable grocery bags, wine accessories and everything in between. What caught my attention this year were cupcakes and Spanish influenced shopping carts.
The cupcake trend continues to live on with everything from 
fashionable cupcake wrappers like Bella Cupcake Couture to baby cupcake makers like Babycakes Cupcake Maker. What’s not to love about a cupcake!
Shopping carts are not something I was expecting to see at the Housewares show. These trendy, eco-friendly shopping carts are originally from Spain, but there were a few manufacturers at the show including Playmarket. These new shopping carts feature trendy color fabrics, are lightweight, compactable, functional and help reduce the use of plastic bags. The only downside is these shopping carts are mostly targeted at urban dwellers. Being a beach bum myself, I would love to see a version for the beach with wheels that would easily glide over the sand.
Green is still the new black at the show with companies like Replenish, GreenPan and RuMe promoting eco-friendly cleaning products, pots and pans and reusable bags respectively. However, most manufacturers promoting green products realize their products are not going to sell just because they are green. While consumers would like to say they purchase green products to save the environment, it is necessary to promote a more prominent benefit like convenience first with the environmental benefit coming secondary.
And finally, I had to laugh at the good old guerrilla marketing one manufacturer was using to get buyers’ attention at the show.
Spying on Your Website Traffic
First and foremost, if your website doesn’t have analytics installed, it is a must do. Analytics allow you to see important statistics about your website, including how many visitors are coming to your website, how long visitors are staying on your website, how visitors found your website and much more exciting data.
And the best thing about web analytics is you can get it for free. Simply go to http://www.google.com/analytics/ to get started.
Once your website analytics are installed, start reviewing and assessing the data on a regular basis. We recommend reviewing your website stats at least once a month and begin to identify trends and opportunities to enhance your website. While there are endless ways to drill down into the data, we have provided eight website statistics you should be reviewing.
1. Unique visitors: The number of unique visits will give you a true understanding of how many people actually visited your website in a given time period. This means if I visited your website 20 times in one month, I’m only counted as one unique visitor for that month. However, “visits” can include one person visiting your website multiple times.
2. Average time on the site: If the average time on your website is low (less than a minute), this means visitors are not finding your website content valuable. Take a closer look at the stats and determine why this might be occurring. Ways to increase the time visitors spend on your site include adding video, articles, whitepapers or blogs that feature relevant content.
3. Bounce rate: The bounce rate is the number of visitors who come to your website and then immediately “bounce” or leave. If your bounce rate is high (50% or more), take a closer look into the stats and see why people are immediately leaving. A high bounce rate can reduce your search engine rankings.
4. Visitor loyalty: For most businesses, it is important to keep bringing back customers and prospects to your website. If visitor loyalty is important to your business, determine how many returning vs. new visitors are coming to your site.
If the number of returning visitors is low, brainstorm ways to increase visitor loyalty. For example, if you sell cookware, post recipes on a regular basis or develop and distribute an e-newsletter that brings customers/prospects back to your website.
5. Traffic sources: There are three ways visitors can be coming to your website – directly, through a search engine or through a link on another website. If you have a high percentage of visitors coming directly to your site, kudos to you. This means you have good brand awareness and either the visitor is typing your URL directly into his or her browser or your URL is book marked.
Drill down into the referring traffic to find out what sites are linking to your website. Look to see if there are any types of sites (blogs, media, etc.) that do a good job of driving quality traffic to your website and determine a way to get other similar sites to link to your website.
6. Keywords: Take a look at what keywords are driving traffic to your website. This will be particularly important if you are conducting search engine optimization.
7. Content: Drill down into what pages are getting the most visits, what pages are being ignored, at what pages people are entering the site and at what pages people are exiting the site. This will help determine what content is most valuable for your visitors and ways you can increase the time spent on your site.
8. Goals: You can set up tracking on your analytics to identify when visitors complete a “goal”. For example, you might set up a goal for an ecommerce purchase or a goal for when a contact form is submitted. We highly recommend adding “goals” because it will enable you to track these “goals” over time and determine how tweaks to the website or marketing campaigns are affecting the achieved goals.
Once you start reviewing your website analytics regularly and get comfortable with the data, you can start drilling down even further. The fun never ends!
Will Consumer Email Marketing Soon be History?
The short answer is no. However, web-based email usage (Yahoo, Google, AOL, etc.) is seeing a shift. More youths are abandoning email and opting for different forms of mobile and social media communication. But older Americans are continuing to use the Internet and sign-up for web-based email accounts.
According to comScore’s 2010 US Digital Year in Review, total web-based email declined 8% in 2010. The most significant decline was among 12-17 year olds, which was down 59%. Usage also declined minimally among 18-24 year olds and declined 18% among 25-34 year olds. However, web-based email usage was up 22% among 55-64 year olds and was up 28% among those 65 and older.
The shift is occurring as more youths are using texting, instant messaging and social media sites to stay in touch with family and friends, while older Americans are continuing to adopt the Internet and email.
As a marketer, this doesn’t mean consumer email marketing is a thing of the past. While the comScore numbers might seem like email is heading south, in the same study comScore reported email was one of the top mobile devise activities with 30.5% of mobile subscribers (that’s 70.1 million Americans) using their phones for email.
Also, the social media giant Facebook announced in mid-November that it will be launching email for its users. This means that users can sign up for an @facebook.com email account. While Facebook email is different than web-based email accounts like Google, it is still telling that Facebook is offering this new service to users.
Certainly mobile devises and social media are shifting the way we are communicating, but according to comScore, 153 million people visited web-based email sites in November 2010. Additionally, email still remains one of the top activities on the web with email reaching more than 70% of the US population each month. So don’t let the numbers fool you; email is still a powerful marketing tool and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
What Job Do Consumers Hire Your Product To Do?
Typically the first thing product manufacturers do when launching a product is to start segmenting their markets by product categories, price, function or by the target audience’s demographics and psychographics. However, Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, is suggesting product manufacturers take a different approach.
Christensen is suggesting the best approach to marketing a product is to identify what job consumers hire your product to do. He feels this approach really allows you to “crawl into the skin of your customer and go with her as she goes throughout her day, asking the question: why did she do it that way?”
While some marketing professionals may argue that Christensen’s idea isn’t really new, it is an interesting exercise to conduct. Ask yourself, what job will consumers hire my product to do? Or if it is an existing product, ask your customers what job they hired your product to do.
Christensen gives an excellent example of how his “jobs-to-be-done” approach applied to marketing milkshakes in the video below.
It is possible you might come to the same conclusions why consumers will purchase your products using traditionally laddering (identifying features, functional benefits, higher order benefits and emotions). But it is worth putting down the research data for once and asking what appears to be a very simply question: What do consumers hire my product to do?
Read the full article on Christensen’s “milkshake marketing” at: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6496.html?wknews=02142011
Do I Need A Privacy Policy On My Website?
According to the Better Business Bureau, there is no law requiring a website to have a privacy policy. However, consumers are becoming very savvy and want to know what information corporations are gathering about them online and how it is being used.
Therefore, we highly recommend your website, whether it is an ecommerce site or not, have a privacy policy. Below are key topics your privacy policy should address.
1. Explain what type of information are you collecting. For example, are you collecting email addresses from sign-up forms, physical addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank information, IP addresses or browser information?
2. Share how this information is used. Do you sell their names and email addresses or do you only use this information for internal marketing purposes? If you use a third-party merchant account or a third-party ad service, find out from these companies what information they are collecting and how they are using it. Be sure to include that in the privacy statement.
3. Do you use cookies on your site? Do you use Google Analytics? If so, share that in your privacy statement.
4. If you are collecting sensitive information about customers, like credit card or bank account information, ensure you share how your site is secured. Also, include how you prevent hackers from getting sensitive customer data.
5. Provide customers and prospects with an email and/or phone number they can call if they have questions about your privacy policy.
Privacy policies are important and help establish credibility with customers and prospects. Make your policy statement easy for web visitors to understand and avoid technical legal jargon when possible.
The short list of what to include in your privacy policy is only meant to be a guide. We highly recommend you seek legal advice when writing your privacy policy.
Has Disney Pushed The Limit By Entering The Maternity Ward?
Disney sales representatives are currently visiting 580 hospitals across the country to market to newborns’ parents. The pitch is simple. If you give Disney your email address to sign up for BabyDisney.com you get a free Disney onsie. According to NPR, sales reps can be visiting new moms within hours of delivery.
Since I’m not a mom, it is hard to say what my reaction would be if one of these Disney reps came traipsing into my hospital room. It really would come down to their approach.
From a marketing standpoint, it is a brilliant idea for Disney to be part of such a huge family milestone. It would be hard for a mom to push the Disney representative away if he or she were simply offering their well wishes for the new little bundle of joy. Plus the family will likely remember that Disney was part of the first few days of their baby boy or girl’s life.
Collecting email addresses is certainly not the goal. There are plenty of less expensive ways, like purchasing databases, holding contests, etc. to gather email addresses. Disney’s goal is to take advantage of the $36.3 billion annual baby market. This shouldn’t be too hard for Disney to accomplish, considering its “princess” market is a $4 billion industry.
What do you think? I would love for others (parent or not) to weigh in. Would you be annoyed? Has Disney gone too far? Or would you gladly give your email address for a cute little onsie?
How To Be Considered For Good Housekeeping’s Very Innovative Products Award
I see that Good Housekeeping does a VIP award every year. How do I get my consumer product considered for this?
Thousands of new products are launched each year so getting recognized as one of the 11 VIPs by Good Housekeeping is going to be a challenge. There are actually more opportunities to get editorial coverage throughout the year in the magazine.
The first step in getting your product considered for the VIP award or editorial coverage is to contact the correct editor and pitch your product. We DO NOT recommend sending unsolicited product. This is a waste of time and money.
Based on the type of consumer product, you will be contacting a specific editor. For example, Carolyn Forte is the Home Care Director and Kathleen Huddy is the Textiles Director. However, don’t stop with these contacts. Also search the publication’s masthead and magazine for other relevant reporters that might cover your product. If you are still uncertain, call the magazine and ask.
Also, be patient. Getting to the correct contact and getting the media to respond takes time.
Super Bowl Commericals Leaked
Until the Browns make it to the Super Bowl, the only reason I watch the big game is for the commercials. But in today’s YouTube world, you do not even have to wait for the Super Bowl to get a sneak peek at some of the ads.
Below are a few we found on YouTube. The Bridgestone Reply All teaser seems to have the most potential (we can all relate).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWoegbBNAZs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lSycVNy8SE
How to Get a Better ROI on Trade Shows
Trade shows can be expensive. How do we ensure we get a good ROI at trade shows?
Exhibitions deliver highly qualified prospects with buying influence – many of whom target one exhibition and event exclusively. According to industry research, an overwhelming percentage (79%) of all qualified attendees represent a potential new customer for exhibiting companies.
Go the Distance
Simply having a booth at a trade show is not enough. What are you doing before, during and after the show to achieve your show objectives (you do have a trade show marketing plan, right?)? How are you getting traffic to the booth? What do you have planned for the media? How compelling is the booth design and your booth activities? Are you capturing data along the way? Are you creating brand experiences? How will you follow up and track results? How will you measure the return on your trade show investment?
Trade shows, like any other marketing strategy, will only be as successful as you make them. The key is to thoroughly plan, professionally execute and accurately measure.
Step 1: Determine what you want/need to accomplish at the show. Do you want to increase awareness? Build customer relationships? Schedule presentations? Demonstrate products? Initiate sales? Committing to specific objectives is the first step toward success. And the more specific and measurable the objectives are, the easier it will be to determine if you have achieved your objectives. How many presentations do you want to make? How many sales do you want to initiate? How many media interviews do you want to arrange?
Set specific objectives. For example, if a key show objective is to generate leads and increase sales, determine the overall show investment and the number of leads and volume of sales required to deliver an acceptable ROI. Ask yourself how many leads will you need to generate and convert (total sales) in order to justify the trade show investment?
Step 2: Identify target audiences and determine key messages. Document all target audiences you can and want to meet with at the show – prospects, customers, vendor-partners, media, distributors, sales reps, industry analysts, etc. Likewise, determine key messages to each of these audiences as it relates specifically to the show. This will ensure everyone (as well as the booth itself, presentations and videos, show literature and promotional handouts) is communicating the right messages to the right people.
Step 3: Strategize the most effective ways to achieve your objectives and communicate key messages. There is virtually no limit to the number of trade show marketing strategies you can plan and execute. The key is to ensure that any proposed strategy – if successful – will contribute to one or more of the objectives you documented in your plan.
Step 4: Measure and assess the show’s ROI. Once the show is over, your work is not complete. Besides scheduling meetings with leads generated at the show, you need to remain in front of prospects (email, mail, phone, etc.) and begin assessing the show’s ROI.
The return on investment will be realized in days, weeks and months following the show.
• How many booth attendees did you experience?
• Did your Web site traffic increase before, during and after the show?
• How many meetings occurred as a result of the show?
• Was there an increase in sales calls and/or emails?
• Did sales increase as a result of the show? If so, how much?
• If you conducted media relations, how much coverage appeared and did it effectively communicate your key messages? Did it increase Web site traffic or increase leads and sales?
• And most importantly, did you achieve the trade show objectives?
Once you have assessed the results, determine if the cost of the show was worth the investment. If so, consider how you can improve the results at your next show. If not, determine why the results didn’t meet your expectations. Were booth invitations utilized? Was the booth messaging effective? Did you effectively engage booth attendees? Did you capture visitor data? Were the show employees properly prepared? Did the show fall short of attracting your target audience?
Consider ways to improve the show results or determine if your marketing dollars would be better spent at another industry show or on another marketing strategy.
A trade show can be an effective marketing strategy if utilized properly. If you are investing marketing dollars in shows, ensure you go the distance to achieve the ROI you expect.
For more information, download our trade show marketing white paper.
The Yube Cube
At Sweeney we get the opportunity to launch some really cool consumer products. The Yube certainly falls into that category.
What’s a Yube? Yube is a new personalized furniture system featuring modular cubes that easily assemble into virtually any furniture design. You can configure, build and decorate a layout to suit your personal taste using Yube’s flexible building-block system to create tables, desks, shelves, room-dividers and any piece the user can devise.
What’s the Cool Factor? You can completely personalize your Yube structures. Build anything you can image and also develop custom doors using personal photos.
What Makes It Ecofriendly? Being almost edible, the Yube outer panels are made from Sugarcane, only someone got there first to extract the sweet juice. Rather than burn the remaining fiber as waste, it is pulped for reuse and pressed into Yube panels.
The frames of the Yube are made from Woodlite, a proprietary compound of non-toxic moldable plastic mixed with Bamboo, the planet’s fastest growing renewable wood resource. Woodlite utilizes 20-30% less non-renewable resources than similarly molded products.
What Are Media & Bloggers Saying? Yube just launched in early January. So we are still hard at work securing media and blogger coverage. But you can check out some preliminary coverage here:
Mom of 2 Dancers (Mommy Blog)
If you want to learn more about Sweeney’s product launch services, visit our product launch service sheet.
Strategies for Launching a Product
We are launching a new consumer product in the health and fitness category. What marketing strategies should we consider?
When launching a new product or service, we recommend always taking the long view and complete approach. To achieve success it is critical to consider all relevant strategies, to determine the proper integration of all strategies and to establish the appropriate timeline for execution.
It is essential to start with a marketing plan that identifies your strategies, tactics, measurement/analysis, budgets and timelines. This will help you stay on track during the launch and avoid making knee jerk reactions. It is certainly okay to test, assess and revamp campaigns along the way, but you need to develop a road map before starting the journey.
Following are strategies you should consider as part of your product launch plan.
Stage 1: Market Discovery
Market research
Strategic planning
Distribution channel development
Stage 2: Business/Product Branding
Brand name development
Logo development
Brand strategy
Positioning and messaging
Product design
Product labeling and packaging
Stationery, business forms, signage
Company/product collateral
Web Site design and optimization
Stage 3: Business Pre-Launch
Publicity and media relations
Trade show marketing
Internal communications
Sales training and support
Retail POP support
Stage 4: Business/Product Launch Marketing
Publicity and media relations
Advertising
Social media marketing
Direct marketing
Web and search engine marketing
Guerilla marketing and Events
Stage 5: Measurement and Analysis
Web analytics
Media and blog coverage results
Traffic and sales results
Stage 6: Post-Launch Marketing
Publicity and media relations
Advertising
Direct marketing
Social media
Consumer engagement
Web marketing
Launching a new product and don’t know where to start? Contact me at jennifer at sweeneypr.com or 910.772.1688.
Five Must Consider Marketing Strategies for 2011
Whether your organization is “flying high” or “getting by,” it is unquestionably in your best interest to always evaluate minimum-investment, maximum-return marketing strategies as key components of your marketing plan. Following are Sweeney’s Top 5 “Must Consider” strategies for 2011 – strategies we believe cannot be overlooked and whose value should not be underestimated:
Publicity & Media Relations. Though a standard in the world of public relations, publicity and media relations have never held more potential for organizations seeking to increase awareness through traditional and online media outlets. Publicity and media relations 2.0 allow you to secure print, broadcast and online media coverage to reach target audiences with both company and product information in a cost-efficient manner. In the process you are also creating valuable content that can be used to enhance your web site and enhance your search ranking.
Online Advertising. As an addition or alternative to traditional print and broadcast advertising, online advertising (both display and PPC) can help you will build awareness while also driving traffic to your web site – traffic that you can monitor and evaluate. You can control costs, messaging and placement in both a test and campaign environment.
E-mail Marketing. The regular distribution of email to existing or rented databases is an effective, fast and efficient strategy for staying in front of and engaging target audiences (customers, prospects, distributors, retailers, etc.). E-mail marketing allows you to monitor, measure, evaluate and respond to recipient actions almost immediately.
Social Media Marketing. The use of social networks, online communities, blogs, wikis or any other online collaborative media – allows you to produce and share content, generate and participate in conversations and establish a trusted presence among target audiences. As with the other strategies, you can manage your involvement and costs while achieving desired results.
Creative. The difference between a good and great campaign is often determined by the creative. The ad that gets responses, the brochure that gets read, the business card that elicits calls, the e-mail that gets opened and clicked… they all have one thing in common – an impactful creative design and compelling creative message. This is one corner you don’t want to cut.
Need help implementing these marketing and public relations strategies or others? Contact me at jennifer at sweeneypr.com or 910.772.1688.
Email Blooper
Sometimes the best way to learn from others is learning what not to do. I received the following email below in my inbox today.
This is exactly the type of emails you don’t want to receive as a consumer or send as a marketer. Here’s why:
1. I intentionally removed the sender’s name from the email because I didn’t want to call him out personally. However, the email said it was from “Gevalia Stainless Steel Bundle Pkg” and then it listed a person’s email address. The “FROM” line of a consumer email should always be the company, in this case “Gevalia Coffee” and should not list an individual’s name (unless your the Geico Gecko).
2. The subject line is not enticing at all. Plus, I’m not a coffee drinker. The only reason I opened this email is because I was curious as a consumer marketer.
3. The copy does not encourage me to click the link. It simply falls flat. Plus there is no visual in this email at all. Why not create an HTML email with the offer right there for me to see.
4. What is with that URL? The URL should be a link to the company “Gevalia Coffee”. Not a link that looks suspicious and I have no idea where it will lead me.
5. Who is “Gevalia Coffee”? There is no information in this email to tell me about the company and why I would want to buy their coffee.
6. “Write to us”? Huh… why would I want to write to you? Plus, how do I even know who I’m sending a letter to if you only provide a PO Box?
As you can clearly see, there are many issues with this email and it is highly likely it didn’t produce any positive results. You better believe I don’t want to be receiving email again from this company. Did I mention I’m not a coffee drinker?!
The Impact of a Consumer Reports Review
My product is expected to be reviewed in Consumer Reports. Should I be prepared both online and with retailers for a big influx in sales? Also, assuming a positive review, how can we market this information to our retailers and consumers?
If you are expecting a Consumer Reports review to be the tipping point for your business, your expectations are probably set too high. While a positive Consumer Reports review will certainly benefit your brand and your product that is tested (assuming a positive review), it is unlikely Consumer Reports will have a similar effect as “Ophra’s favorite things”.
The response will really vary by product type. If you have a high value product, like a car, flat screen television, video camera, etc., these are planned purchases people tend to research before buying. Therefore, you will not likely see a big spike in sales with a higher value, non-impulse buy product.
If you have a product that is more of an impulse buy or a product that has a shorter life cycle (e.g. a cleaning product, detergent, etc.), you could see a slight bump in sales from the review. But again, don’t expect any miracles here.
We did reach out to two consumer packaged goods companies who were recently featured in the Consumer Reports December 2010 issue and both reported not seeing a major spike in sales. Keep in mind that consumers tend to use Consumer Reports as a resource and save issues for future use. So the impact could occur in small increments over time.
With that being said, you still should be prepared online to handle an increase of sales and let your retailers know you expect your product to appear in Consumer Reports. This will help ensure they are prepared.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to note that Consumer Reports has very strict guidelines about the commercial use of Consumer Reports content. The publication’s website clearly states:
Our Ratings and reports are intended solely for the use of our readers. Neither the Ratings nor the reports may be used in advertising or for any other commercial purpose without our permission. Consumers Union will take all steps open to it to prevent commercial use of its materials, its name, or the name of Consumer Reports®.
Therefore, it is in your best interest to not advertise or market your Consumer Reports review unless you have spoken with the publication first.
Looking to secure quality and high volumes of media coverage in 2011, contact me at jennifer at sweeneypr.com or 910.772.1688.
Do We Really Need All These Consumer Products?
I consider myself a practical person. I try to be realistic purchasing things my family needs and doesn’t need. Although, my husband is completely the opposite and is always trying to get me to buy products/services I don’t think we need. It’s a constant struggle between us and one that I usually get the “cheapo” nickname for.
One recent example is the iPad, which I received from my husband for Christmas. I waited about 2 weeks before opening the box. I was struggling with the fact that we already both have iPhones, a desktop and a laptop computer at home. Why would we need a bigger glorified iPhone?
I finally threw caution to the wind and set up the iPad last night. I only had a chance to download a few apps, but I was completely and utterly sold within minutes. I had made the right choice. The apps on the iPad were so much cooler than on the iPhone and I immediately started thinking of ways we can make good use of the iPad.
My experience with the iPad really got me thinking about how amazing Apple’s products and marketing truly are to get us to purchase things we don’t really need. And look at Starbucks… do we really need a $5 coffee when we can get it for $1 at MacDonald’s?
The list of examples never ends. We basically live in a world of products and services that we don’t really need. But after all, I guess that is why they call us “consumers”.
Beware of SEO Hijacking
I received an email from a source I don’t know telling me a link was broken on my website and recommended we link to a new site. What is this all about?
We highly recommend you do your homework first and don’t automatically change the link to the site the email is recommending. This is a very clever SEO approach that is on the rise, according to SEO expert and co-founder of diabetesdaily.com David Edelman.
There are tools available on the web that SEO experts can use to find broken links, like a link checker or broken link tool. The SEO expert identifies a reputable website he or she wants linking to their site (or a client’s site), finds a broken link and recommends their site (or client’s website) to help increase their organic search engine rankings.
Edelman provided a good example to highlight how this approach is working. “A reputable site like Harvard changes its site structure and breaks some old incoming links. A clever SEO expert searches for all high-quality sites linking to that page and emails them: Hey, your page has a broken link. Here’s the updated URL. They provide a link to their client’s site (or their own), which is hardly as credible as Harvard. This is a great way to get links from reputable sites.”
This is just one clever approach SEO experts are using to increase website rankings. Simply being aware of these approaches will help ensure you don’t fall for the trap.
When to Buy & Sell an Apple Product
Apple has a very strategic product development/launch schedule. Take the iPhone for example. Every year around June a new and more exciting version is launched. This is not by accident of course. Apple wants its customers to continue to come back each year to purchase the upgraded version.
Not only that, but Apple does not intend to support its older generation iPhones. I have the iPhone 3 and every time there is an upgrade in software it seems my phone is running slower and slower. However, I don’t think I would get to the point that I toss my iPhone because it is running too slowly. I would be more likely to toss the perfectly fine (but maybe a tad slow) iPhone 3 for the latest and greatest version. For this reason, I’m probably considered Apple’s ideal customer.
My husband wants to upgrade our iPhones, but I have been considering the best time to do so. It doesn’t make sense to purchase the iPhone 4 now, but rather wait until the 5th generation is available this summer. If there is something super cool that is part of the iPhone 5, I don’t want to be stuck with the iPhone 4 .
Apparently I’m not alone in my thinking. There was a story on NPR this week about tablet computers being the next “big” thing. The expert they interviewed for the story just sold his Apple iPad last week.
The reason the tech expert sold his iPad is because this is the maximum resale time. The iPad is still in demand and the next generation will not be available for another few months. What a great way to still get the latest and greatest Apple products, not get stuck with the older generation and still have some of your original dollars to invest in the next generation.
News Wire Release Distribution Doesn’t Guarantee Results
I sent my news release out on the wire and I have only seen a handful of media results. Why is that?
There could be many reasons why you are not achieving the results you expected.
First, it is important to understand the different “wire” services out there. There are the traditional wire services like Business Wire and PR Newswire that distribute your news release to newsrooms across the country. There are online wire services like PR Web that focus on distributing your news release to online news sites, blogs and websites. Finally, there are free distribution sites where you can post your release; however, you get what you pay for with these and in most cases your release is not distributed at all. Rather it just sits on that particular website.
Therefore, you need to select the type of wire distribution you want based on the goals you are trying to achieve. If you are simply writing the news release for organic SEO purposes, then an online wire service like PR Web will be suitable and the free distribution sites can provide a little value as well. If you are looking for media coverage, then you want to be using a traditional service like Business Wire or PR Newswire.
Secondly, the quality of your news release is important. If the release is an advertisement or poorly written, it is not likely to get covered by the media. You may find it on a few blogs or “sblogs”, but that is about it.
Thirdly, while wire services are valuable, your efforts should not stop there. You should still distribute the news release to your media list. This is because the person monitoring the wire for news isn’t likely the reporter you are trying to reach. Also, as with any successful publicity and media relations campaign, it is necessary to pick up the phone and call the media.
A wire distribution service should not be the end all be all to your publicity strategy. A campaign requires much more time and attention to be successful.
Need support getting media coverage? Contact me at jennifer at sweeneypr.com or 910.772.1688.
Are Green Products Backfiring?
I feel strongly that manufacturers and consumer should be doing their part to protect the environment. It shouldn’t even be a consideration for a manufacturer to say “we need a green product.” Rather all products should be as green as possible, basically ending the green marketing movement.
However, it will take time for us to successfully get there. And after reading the Wall Street Journal article “The Hidden Cost of Going Green”, I’m beginning to think we are only at the starting line.
The Wall Street Journal article provided a few examples of how going green has backfired. For example, one woman purchased a hybrid car to save money on gas and reduce her carbon footprint. Something went wrong with the battery and her car was in the shop for three months. Her final bill was $1,300; so much for saving money.
I saw another article about water saving washing machines and how stains are not being removed, which requires consumers to wash their clothes multiple times. This completely defeats the purpose of a water saving washing machine. However, the washing machine manufacturer said this shouldn’t be an issue and blamed the consumer for improper use.
Consider highly concentrated laundry detergents, which are designed to reduce the amount of plastic going into our landfills. But how often do we use more detergent than necessary because we feel that small capful isn’t going to clean our clothes? I’m certainly guilty of this. The result is we end up buying more detergent than necessary, still putting more plastic into our landfills.
Certainly we need to start somewhere and in the case of the laundry detergent, it is going to take consumers changing their behavior. It is also going to require manufacturers to educate the marketplace about the correct way to achieve the desired “green” results.
‘Tis the Season for Great Lakes Christmas Ale
Every November in Northeast Ohio people go nuts for Great Lakes Christmas Ale. Ask any Clevelander and they will tell you I’m not exaggerating.
In fact, I headed to Cleveland in early November for a short visit right when Great Lakes began selling its Christmas Ale at the retail level. On the plane to Cleveland, I sat next to a guy from Massachusetts who I proceeded to tell about the Great Lakes Christmas Ale and people around us started chiming in telling him it was a must do while in Cleveland.
And every year it seems that Great Lakes has shortages of Christmas Ale. Even in early November, I had to wait a few days for retailers to get in another shipment because they had sold out. My cousin couldn’t find it anywhere around Thanksgiving and was threatening to steal my stash at my Mom’s house. The local news was even reporting on the shortage this year.
Closer to the end of December, when the company is getting very short on supply, you will see Great Lakes Brewery’s Facebook page light up with what bars and retailers you can buy Christmas Ale. You can literally hear the chatter on the streets about where to get it at your local watering hole.
How did Great Lakes Christmas Ale get so popular considering Thirsty Dog’s 12 Dogs of Christmas (another Northeast Ohio brewery) is very close in taste, and some even claim it is better? The Great Lakes Christmas Ale phenomenon was not created by a genius marketing or advertising campaign, rather it is the simple law of supply and demand coupled with word-of-mouth marketing.
Whatever the reason Clevelanders don’t care and just want their Christmas Ale. ‘Tis the season for Christmas Ale. Cheers!
What Do Internet Tracking Companies Know About You?
The FTC is recommending a universal “Do Not Track” option online that would give consumers the ability to opt-out of third-party online tracking for advertising purposes. As marketers we certainly understand the value of customer and prospect behavior, but when do we draw that line on privacy as consumers?
After I heard the news about the FTC’s “Do Not Track” recommendation, I wanted to find out just how much information these third-party companies are tracking about me. I found a good article on NPR, “Tracking the Companies that Track You Online”.
NPR selected a 26-year-old female, and with the help of the Wall Street Journal and third-party tracking companies determined that third-party tracking companies knew about her favorite movies, age, hometown, that she liked quizzes and entertainment news.
Another article I found on Wall Street Journal stated over time, these third-party companies will start to predict other information about you based on your interests, including your marital status and creditworthiness.
Certainly I realize that Google knows my hometown because I can tell that when I conduct Google searches. Or on Facebook, I’m not surprised when I see boating ads because I listed boating as a hobby in my profile. But for these third-party companies to know my likes and dislikes and start making predictions about me is a bit invasive and I do think some industry regulation is necessary to protect consumers.
To take this a step further, these third-party tracking companies are also tracking our youngsters, who are heavily influenced by advertising.
So what do you think? Where should online tracking stop? Is the industry doing a good job of self-regulating? Or does the government need to step in?
Black Friday Shopping Survival Guide
On Black Friday weekend more than 138 million people plan to shop according to a preliminary survey by the National Retail Federation. That is a lot of people and I plan to be one of them.
But Black Friday isn’t like any other shopping day; you need a strategy. After working at retailers during my college holiday breaks (Macy’s and Express) and many Black Friday shopping sprees, I have a few dos and don’ts to share.
• Do plan ahead. Check out Black Friday websites or your Thanksgiving Day newspapers to make a list and plot your course. This will help you spend less time driving and more time shopping.
• Do make a list. Making a list will help keep you on track and on budget.
• Do bring snacks. If you are like me, you’ll need to refuel every few hours. Pack water and food like peanut butter crackers, almonds and granola bars that are good for sustaining energy.
• Do wear comfortable shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Just in case you find the perfect pair of shoes, you can take a minute or two to try them on!
• Do wear layers and leave your bulky coat in the car or at home. One less thing you have to carry the better.
• Do wear a tank top under your layers. Should you find a sweater, shirt or coat you want to try on, you will not have to wait in line for a dressing room.
• Do check pricing prior to going to the register and ensure your merchandise rings up correctly. You will save time by stopping the sales associate if something doesn’t look right while he or she is ringing you up. Otherwise, you’ll be standing in the customer service line for a price adjustment.
• Don’t be afraid to ask the sales associate for a coupon at retailers that are known for them like Macy’s, Kohl’s, Belk, etc. The worst they can say is no or I’m not allowed to do that.
• Don’t head to Target, Walmart or Best Buy unless you are fighting for a limited number of electronics. Rather wait until later in the day to get the same sales without all the lines. Most retailers have plenty of stock on Black Friday and will continue to stock their shelves throughout the day.
• Don’t leave your purse on a dressing room hook unless you keep a good eye on it. There is an increase in theft during the holiday season. And this is an easy way for thieves to get your pocketbook while you are distracted looking in the bigger dressing room mirror. Also, be sure to lock your car doors.
• Don’t want to fight the traffic or the crowds? Stay home. It is highly likely (almost guaranteed) retailers will continue to offer special sales throughout the entire holiday season.
Do you plan on being one of the millions of Americans that will be shopping on Black Friday? If so, share your personal survival tips in the comments section.
Black Friday Sales "Leaked"
Black Friday, the day that most retailers begin operating in the “black”, is 
almost a week away. We all know that on Black Friday retailers are known for slashing prices on popular gift giving items (electronics, toys, etc.) to get shoppers up at the crack of dawn and into their stores.
But what is killing me this year is media is claiming that major retailers like Walmart, Sears, Target and Sams Club Black Friday sales have been “leaked” on popular Black Friday websites. Come on… first of all is this really “news”? And secondly, how are the sales being “leaked” if on 
my way out of Costco last weekend, the sales associated handed me the Black Friday circular.
On a more positive note, you don’t have to wait for the newspaper to arrive on Thanksgiving morning to start planning your Black Friday shopping marathon. Head to the Internet to sites like http://bfads.net/ or http://www.blackfriday.info/ or http://www.black-friday.net/ or 
http://www.blackfridayads.com/ or http://www.theblackfriday.com/.
Happy Black Friday shopping!
A Holiday Hallmark Hasn’t Commercialized
As most of you know today is Veterans Day. As I began thinking about the day and all the veterans who have served our country and those who have lost their lives, I realized it is one of the only holidays that the greeting card manufacturers and retailers haven’t commercialized.
I have seen some Veterans Day cards at retailers like CVS and Walgreen’s, but every year the cards continue to look the same and their little space on the rack never seems to grow. That is certainly not the case with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Sweetest Day, Grandparents Day and on and on. Apparently the greeting card manufacturers and retailers haven’t determined a way to capitalize, and by that I mean dollars, on this special day and I certainly hope it stays that way.
Commercializing this day would only take away from its true meaning and the raw reality of war. Our veterans face things we civilians cannot even begin to comprehend and the sacrifice veterans and their families make is truly amazing. As a Marine Corps wife, I understand that first hand.
So I ask greeting card manufacturers, florists, candy companies, retailers, etc. to continue to leave Veterans Day alone and let us honor our veterans with raw emotion and gratitude they deserve.
I Drink the Same Wine As Courtney Cox!
A few weeks ago I was at dinner with friends who ordered a bottle of The Prisoner wine for the table. It is an Orin Swift wine and is simply divine. If the wine itself is not a conversation starter, the label artwork, which is very dark and mysterious, will. 
Just this week, my friends who ordered The Prisoner sent me an email that the wine was going to be featured in this week’s Cougar Town. They have the inside track on Orin Swift wines because a friend of theirs is a distributor.
Evidently, Courtney Cox and her cast mates are huge fans of the wine and reached out to Orin Swift awhile back for some product placement. The first episode that featured The Prisoner was just last night and the wine will make several additional appearances in the show.
The show is very wine centric so the winery is pretty excited about the opportunity. But what stuck me the most about this was the email from my friend that said:
Do you recognize this bottle? This is one of the bottles we drank at dinner. We are so hip!
Hip huh? This is a true example of how TV product placement and celebrity endorsements can benefit brands. Point proven by my friend, product placement and celebrity endorsements can not only increase sales among new customers, but also can keep current customers coming back for more. Because after all, if Courtney Cox drinks The Prisoner then that makes us “hip” for drinking it too!
Have You Ever Been Bitten?
Just this week I saw a Revlon commercial for its new lip stain called Just Bitten. It comes as no surprise that the commercial features Jessica Biel and one of the lip colors is called “Twilight”.
I’m definitely not into Twilight or True Blood or any vampire related movies/shows so my perception of this new Revlon product might be a bit tainted. But who in the world is going to buy a lip stain called “Just Bitten” except for the tween/teen market. And maybe that is who Revlon is targeting, but I think this is inappropriate on two accounts.
First, the name itself doesn’t encourage me to run to the store and buy it. Who wants to be “bitten”? Secondly, if Revlon is targeting tweens and young teens, what kind of message is this sending to our youth? You need to wear lipstick to be bitten?
At a time when Sesame Street is trying to get kids to accept the fact that not everyone’s hair is going to be long and blond like Barbie’s, cosmetic companies are targeting our tweens/teens with sexual and superficial messages.
Pink, Pink and More Pink! I’m Sick of Pink!
As a board director of a local non-profit, I can certainly appreciate how much time, talent and treasure (dollars) it takes to gain awareness for a cause. So what the organizations behind National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) have accomplished is nothing short of spectacular. In fact, other non-profits are jumping on the bandwagon, but none that have come close in my opinion to NBCAM , except maybe National Heart Association Heart month (Feb.).
But NBCAM has gone too commercial and now every consumer product and service is trying to make a buck off of it. From pink mixers to pink laptops, pink product labels and pink hair, this is literally out of control. I’m not saying we should stop creating awareness for breast cancer, but we need to move away from the commercialism and back to the real cause.
Sun Chips Bags Sustainable Packaging
Back in June, I wrote about Sun Chips’ new 100% compostable packaging. You can read the full post here.
At first I was a little annoyed with the new compostable packaging because it is super noisy. But after taking a closer look at why Sun Chips did what they did, I appreciated the commitment it made to our environment and became alittle more tolerable of the packaging.
Apparently other consumers weren’t willing to accept the noisy bags. In fact, there was even a Facebook Group started called SORRY BUT I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THIS SUN CHIP BAG that has almost 48,000 members.
Just this week Sun Chips announced it would no longer use this noisy packaging on 5 of its flavors. It will immediately start using its original packaging material while it looks for another alternative. However, it is keeping the compostable packing on its top selling original flavor to continue to show its commitment to the environment until it finds another solution.
It wasn’t just the consumers’ verbal complaints that made Frito-Lay pull the packaging. According to SymphonyIRI Group, SunChips sales have declined more than 11% over the past 52 weeks (excluding Wal-Mart, which doesn’t share its data).
This is a great lesson that Frito-Lay taught marketers. Even if you have a good product, incorporating green benefits isn’t going to increase sales, especially if the green benefit is a distraction.
Swiffer is the New Self-Defense Tool
A 71-year-old South Carolina man used a Swiffer to fend off an intruder. He was cleaning his kitchen when a man in a ski mask tried to enter his home.
“He told me to get down and I grabbed the Swiffer, started jabbing him with it and it broke off, so I still kept on jabbing,” Philip Graham said. “I told him, ‘You get out of my house, you sorry son of a bitch, I’ll kill you.’ I kept jabbing him and he backed out and ran to the back of the house and then across behind the house.”
I’m certainly glad Philip was okay and that the intruder left the house. But what I found more interesting about this story is Proctor & Gamble sent Philip a full supply of Swiffer products after they heard the news. Then another local news story ran about the products Philip received from P&G. Way to take advantage of the opportunity P&G.
Pottery Barn Pushes Santa Too Soon
Just this week I received a Pottery Barn catalog with a nice fall décor on the cover. As I flipped through the catalog, I was surprised to see Halloween decorations because it wasn’t something I expected from Pottery Barn. But that wasn’t what got me so fired up.
As I continued to flip through the pages, gasp, I saw Christmas decorations. Yes… Christmas decorations in September! How sickening. I just got our fall decorations out of the attic.
And Pottery Barn isn’t the only retailer trying to push Christmas. Toys R Us just released it’s “hot toy list” on Tuesday for the holiday season. This just sickens me. In fact, last year I started a Facebook page called “It’s Too Early For Christmas”. I thought seeing Santa in the mall before Thanksgiving was crazy, but Christmas in September is ludicrous.
Take a stand! Join the Facebook page and voice your opinion.
Is That a Bird or a Plane? No… It’s the iPad.
While I don’t have one of my own, I have heard or seen many uses for the Apple iPad besides the obvious. Just a few weeks ago, I was in a meeting and one of the attendees came with his iPad rather than a pen and paper. Also, I heard parents using it as a glorified “fun pad” to keep kids occupied on long flights or road trips.
But the most interesting of all comes from my husband (a Marine captain) who is currently in Afghanistan’s “wild west”.
Every day we either get attack helicopters or fighter jets to support our Marines if they get in trouble. These guys are constantly over head helping us out with the fighting or providing observation.
We also have 2-3 different maps of the area that we are in, and the pilots have to have these maps up in the cockpit too. Plus they have to have maps of pretty much everywhere between where they take off from up to where they will be doing their missions, so they could potentially have a lot of maps up there that they have to fumble through.
I would say upwards of 10-15 different maps at any given time. Anyhow we had fighter jets up yesterday evening, and instead of having all of these different maps, the pilot had every map conceivable on an iPad. Now that is really cool. I am sure it streamlined the process for him.
Apparently, our military isn’t the only one using the iPad. The UK is also using the iPad to train soldiers. According to an article on RedmondPie.com, “Early reports indicate that this experiment (using iPads for military training) so far has been successful in accelerating their (soldiers’) learning, thanks largely to the natural interactive experience which is said to have been responsible for this.”
Get Your Hot Rod or Jalopy Eyelashes
You can even get crystal eyeliner too! A company called “Carlashes” is now selling eyelashes for your car for $24.99 and eyeliner for $19.99.
According to the Carlashes website, “Carlashes is a new automotive aftermarket brand created to allow cars to be personalized with a feminine touch.” The company was formed in January 2010 and is based in Park City, Utah.
As crazy and ridiculous as this sounds, the company is getting major attention from national new outlets like CNN to blogs around the world. While a unique product like this will get the media and bloggers’ attention, it doesn’t mean people are rushing to the website to order the product. I predict this will soon be a figment of our imagination.
