Category Archives: marketing

3 Gold Nuggets to Uncover From Any Creative Brief

Posted on November 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

Dave Moore, creative director of Williams Helde Marketing Communications, penned a smart article on creative briefs in the November/December issue of Marketing, a Seattle-area trade newspaper.

Moore begins by mentioning the “staggering number of creative-brief formats” in his career. I can relate to that statement. Clients and ad agencies have innumerable briefs, tools and methods for identifying marketing, brand and communications issues. There are all sorts of questions, prompts and formats used to solicit the input required to address them.

As Moore points out, the answers are far more important than the questions.  Then he reveals three questions that uncover the answers that matter most:

  1. What is the single most important thing we need to say?
  2. What is the key or main message?
  3. You (audience) should (action) because (reason).

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Posted in brand, communications, marketing

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The Handwritten Thank-You Card

Posted on May 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

Two things that help ensure  a receptive audience:  saying thank you and employing personalization. For example, the  handwritten card I received in April from my alma mater, San Diego State University:

Dear Mr. Neil Sagebiel,

Thank you so much for your donation to the College of Arts and Letters. Your support helps us out tremendously. It was a pleasure talking to you and go Aztecs!

Sincerely, Alexandra (Class of 2013)

I don’t know many people who reject thank you’s, or, for that matter, appreciation of any kind. As long they’re sincere and professional–and tied to action or sent at logical intervals–you can’t overdo thank you’s.

They are an important staple of every fundraising and marketing communications program.

Related: SDSU Student Caller Gets The Gift

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Posted in communications, fundraising, marketing, Uncategorized

Seth Says: A Show Is Not a Story

Posted on February 9, 2009 | Leave a comment

My friend Aly Colón, a journalist turned global communications manager, sent me an item from Seth Godin’s blog on the excessive showmanship of Super Bowl ads.

“The lesson of these ads is simple,” Seth wrote. “Putting on a show is expensive, time-consuming and quite fun. And it rarely works.”

Here’s the marketing nugget from Seth:

“Marketing is telling a story that sticks, that spreads and that changes the way people act. The story you tell is far more important than the way you tell it. Don’t worry so much about being cool, and worry a lot more about resonating your story with my worldview. If you don’t have a story, then a great show isn’t going to help much.”

I’ll add this: You can’t tell much of a story in 30 seconds — even during the Super Bowl. A 30-second spot can only reinforce the story you’re telling across all media and channels.

Related:
2009 Super Bowl Ads Were Super Duds

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Posted in advertising, marketing, media

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The Dark Side of So-Called Customer Relationships

Posted on February 4, 2009 | Leave a comment

Jonathan Kranz is the principal of Kranz Communications and author of Writing Copy for Dummies (recommended by yours truly, whether you’re a novice or pro). Last week Jonathan wrote an excellent piece entitled “Teaching Our Customers to Hate Us” at MarketingProfs Daily Fix.

A few excerpts:

“As a pretext for sending me overwhelming amounts of unsolicited email, marketers tell me (in the fine print) that I’m receiving this cascade of irrelevant and irritating material because we have some kind of ‘relationship,’” Jonathan wrote.

“Often, I cannot recall what that ‘relationship’ is …”

Yes, “relationship” has been a business and marketing buzzword since the late 20th century. As a marketing type, I bought into it long ago. But Jonathan’s post was like a splash of cold water. This “relationship” talk is often a big marketing lie.

“Real relationships take time,” Jonathan concluded. “Just because someone thanks you for holding the door open doesn’t mean you’re invited to pack your toothbrush and spend the night. As marketers, we need to be prudent.”

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Posted in B2B marketing communications, marketing

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2009 Super Bowl Ads Were Super Duds

Posted on February 2, 2009 | 2 Comments

While the Super Bowl game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals was super, the Super Bowl ads were not.

I admit it. I’ve been in the advertising/marketing game a while. Maybe I’m just getting old and cranky (I’m definitely not in the coveted 18-34 demographic), but, overall, I found last night’s lineup of Super Bowl ads to be uninspired. They didn’t strike me as clever, smart, or funny.

Sometimes I wonder how they get made. How do the concepts move beyond the conference rooms where they’re pitched?

I read in USA Today that the average Super Bowl ad costs $2 million to produce and $3 million for the ad buy. So corporations pony up $5 million to run those 30-second spots. Amazing.

If they’re phenomenal (“Herding Cats” comes to mind), then they’re probably worth the hefty investment. But, for many, there are probably much smarter ways to use $5 million to build brand awareness and market products and services.

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Posted in advertising, marketing

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Coffee, Flowers and Moxie

Posted on January 26, 2009 | Leave a comment

Friday is a good day to meet someone for coffee. And by spending a few dollars at a Blacksburg, Virginia, coffee shop, I did a small bit to help the struggling economy.

The person I met — Jim Flowers — is also doing his part to help companies and the wider economy.

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Posted in blogs, guerilla marketing, marketing, Recession marketing

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Sneaky Big Marketing

Posted on January 14, 2009 | Leave a comment

The choices in marketing communications are overwhelming. What audiences do you need to reach? With what messages? And with what media?

An opinion piece I read by Seiter & Miller Advertising CEO Livingston Miller made a lot of sense. Miller wrote “find a place you can dominate and a space you can control. The results will make you look bigger. Call it ‘sneaky big.’”

Miller explained that sneaky big requires sacrifice. “Decide what not to say, who not to talk to and where not to advertise.”

Instead, simplify your messages and “give up the market you aspire to for the market you can achieve.” It’s a smart, nimble strategy for non-titans who nonetheless are looking for big results.

(Source: BtoB)

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Posted in B2B marketing communications, guerilla marketing, marketing

How to (Not) Deal with Bad News

Posted on January 7, 2009 | Leave a comment

It’s there everywhere I turn. I’m talking about bad news. Very bad news.

When I scan my usual list of sources for blog and e-newsletter material, what I see is many versions of “The sky is falling.” When I open those quarterly statements that come in the mail (or are sent via email), the numbers are a downer, literally and figuratively.

So, on most days, I choose to ignore (or immediately forget) the bad news. I choose to not open the quarterly statements. Not in a head-in-the-sand kind of way, but simply for self-preservation.

I know I can’t do anything about marketing budgets, advertising spending, the stock market and unemployment. I am content to keep my head down and work my plan. I have to believe my own small efforts will bear fruit and we’ll all come out the other side of this economic calamity.

English poet Thomas Gray wrote, “Ignorance is bliss.” Maybe so. It at least keeps one from focusing too intently on a highly disagreeable business situation.

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Posted in advertising, marketing

Avoid Panic Marketing

Posted on December 31, 2008 | 3 Comments

“Panic marketing” is a term I read in The 10 Commandments of B-to-B Direct Marketing, a white paper by The Hacker Group. It’s based on the misguided belief that direct marketing (or marketing) can somehow create faster or increased sales for products that have built-in sales cycles.

“Panic marketing almost never works,” the Hacker Group writes. “If the customer needs nine months to make a decision, direct marketing can’t affect sales this quarter. If the customer needs 18 months to make a decision, direct marketing can’t affect sales this year.

“The proper way to use direct marketing is to generate qualified leads on an ongoing basis.”

All true, but often ignored in our hyped-up, competitive economy. If you’re a marketer and an agency promises you the world, be wary. If you’re an agency and to get the account the marketer expects the world, educate them or simply run.

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Posted in B2B marketing communications, marketing

A Sense of Online Urgency

Posted on December 3, 2008 | Leave a comment

I read this in today’s BtoB Daily News Alert.

A new survey found that nearly half of B2B marketing budgets are spent on online tactics such as website development, online advertising, search marketing, webcasts and social media.

The survey was conducted by Hearst Electronics Group and Goldstein Group.

“The sense of urgency to move to online marketing has been felt by leading marketing organizations for some time now, but the extent to which budgets have been redefined is dramatic,” Joel Goldstein, president of Goldstein Group, was quoted as saying.

It’s a bit like the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889. More and more are staking their claim in the vast online world.

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Posted in guerilla marketing, marketing