Casual Fridays

I have a friend who owns a restaurant business. He does all his own marketing and advertising… and he’s quite good at it.  It’s really fascinating to see what he comes up with and how tightly bound it is to his objectives and his brand.  Part of the fascination is of how rare he is. Most small business owners can’t do what he does. Why? Because few people have the same level of creativity, humor and understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

I’m not going to say that every business should hand off every aspect of their marketing to an agency or consultant.  In fact, I think too many businesses live in the extremes on this issue. Either they do it all themselves or they hand it all over to a third party.  In almost every case, I think this is a mistake.

Turn on your TV or tune into your radio and you don’t have to wait long to encounter an advertising train wreck.  You know what I’m talking about. The ads you know are horrible, but you can’t take your eyes off them. Most of these are cases where the advertiser is working directly with a station or a production service, without the advice of a professional.  Some are cases of creativity gone awry as an agency has taken too many liberties with the client’s message and have lost the integrity of the brand which my restaurateur buddy manages so well.

Business Week had a recent article which did a great job of bringing light to this issue entitled Why Your Advertising Isn’t Working.  In this article, Steve McKee does an excellent job of hitting seven of the greatest infractions in advertising.

Here are the top 3:

1. It’s boring. Yep, boring. Why do we watch TV, listen to the radio, read the newspaper, or go online? Three reasons: information, entertainment, and engagement. Ads that fail to offer at least two of these three benefits flop. Just as nobody reads every story in the newspaper, nobody pays attention to every ad. You have to engage your prospects with something that is interesting or entertaining before they’ll give you their valuable time and attention. Creativity has always been the coin of the realm, but in our time-starved culture it’s truer than ever.

2. It’s boorish. You shouldn’t think of your advertising as being about your brand, you should think of it as an extension of your brand (see “A Practical Guide to Branding”). If it’s loud, annoying, insulting, offensive, or self-centered, people will think the same of your products or services (see “The Cocktail Party Test for Advertising”). Remember the first sentence in the best-selling hardback book in U.S. history, The Purpose Driven Life: “It’s not about you.” What’s true in life is true in advertising; if you focus only on what you can get, you’re not going to get much. Instead, focus on giving, and good things will begin to happen.

3. It’s safe. The first time I saw a Ford Taurus (F), I took note, and I suspect you did as well. So did a lot of other people, and the Taurus went on to become the best-selling car in America. If the Taurus had been another in a long line of boxy sedans, it probably would have been just another car. Instead, it turned automotive design conventions upside down and made history. While being different isn’t in and of itself a guarantee of success, what you do is a lot more likely to get noticed if it hasn’t been done before. And keep in mind that when you do something different, people may not like it—at least initially. Most of us were shocked at our first sight of the Taurus’ curved lines, but it went on to have significant influence on automotive design. If you worry too much about offending someone, you’re likely to not attract anyone.

See the rest here.

Whether companies work with agencies or not, they still may fall into these traps.  It’s just a whole lot easier to fall into them if you don’t have a guide.  Choose wisely.

As the political rhetoric heats up, it’s interesting to see which messages are insightful and which simply incite.

Does this candidate’s ad really tell you anything new about him, his platform, his party, his opponent?  Or does it simply stimulate something you’ve always believed?  Does it stir emotions and feelings?  Or does it change the way you think about something?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with inciting.  In fact, I think your message is much more potent if it connects on an emotional level.  

What IS dangerous is incite without any insight.

By attaching a new perspective… a new way of thinking… a powerful idea…  to an emotion, you do more than just PUSH people.  You push them in a different direction.

Push them in the door.

Push them in front of a mirror.

Push them in front of a train.

Big difference.

The military spends tons of money to make something blend in and then loses it. Sounds pretty stupid when the army does it, yet advertisers do something even more inept. They spend an insane amount of money buying ad space to get attention, but then camouflage their ads. They still remain invisible because of clutter, attention-spans (Oh, look, there’s a bird!) and generic messages.

Top 5 Ways Advertisers Use Camouflage:

1. Look like the competition.

Ads should highlight what makes you special. To quote the Incredibles, “When everyone is special, then no one is.” That’s especially true when everyone tries to be special in the exact same way.

This Reebok ad is very similar to the Nike ad below (10 years before the Reebok ad).

(source: AdPulp)

Let me emphasize this point.

One of my clients has an employee who previously worked for the competition. Before I worked with this client, their ads were very similar to their biggest competitor’s spots. The employee said before we came in and changed my client’s ads, the competition always knew when my client was advertising because they had more shoppers coming in THEIR doors.

By looking like their competition, my client was sending customers to ‘the enemy.’

2. Advertise where all the competition is.

Why do advertisers have to be right next to their competition? It’s like the CEO went to the marketing department and said, “Castrol is on a NASCAR, why aren’t we?” So then their logo is slapped next to MOROSO and something unreadable (even in a close-up) typed in a script font.

What if you had the audience to yourself, like Sweet Pete’s Bicycle:

(source: Guerrilla Promos)

You get an audience all to yourself.

Likewise, an motor oil company could “rent” a parking spot from their local Auto Zone. Place a temporary sign stating the spot is reserved for users of their product because their engine runs better, fewer leaks, etc.

3. Being irrelevant.

Who cares:

How long your furniture store has been in business?
You’re the #1 car dealer in the metro area?
Your kid is in your TV ad?

When creating your ad, only think and talk of yourself and the customer never will.

Think and talk about the customer and your relationship with them, and they’ll reciprocate.

4. Never change the ‘wrapping paper’.

Has anything changed in your business over the last five years? I would guess so. Then why are you running the same ads?

First, those who didn’t respond to your message yet, won’t.

Second, maybe some responded and didn’t like it. Now they think nothing changed and they’ll still be dissatisfied.

I’m not saying you have to change the brand message, but give it some new wrapping paper every once in a while. If you have a powerful enough message, then it should have legs to adapt.

5. Basically… play it safe.

Being different seems risky. But being the same is even riskier.

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”
— General Eric Shinseki, retired Chief of Staff, U. S. Army

—————–

If you’re going to spend money, time and effort crafting a message… don’t throw it all away by painting it camouflage.

There are two models of communication at play today.

Conspiracy or Collaboration

There are times when conspiracy is a necessary evil. Most of the time though, conspiracy is a detriment to our relationships. It limits us and pits us against one another.

Which do you use in your business?

… in your church?

… with your friends and family?

Great article by Guy Kawasaki explaining Lois Kelley’s Nine Best Story Lines for Marketing.

I would probably add one more story line… Leaving Ruin. These are stories of the pheonix rising from the ashes. How a person, group or organization survived certain peril. How they turned the ship around when all seemed lost. This story can be similar to David vs. Goliath, but it doesn’t have to be the little guy. It could be how IBM reinvented itself or the story of a successful man who lost everything to alcoholism… only to rediscover what is truly important in life and fights to get it back.

Read the article. Let me know what you think. Which story is yours? And as Guy asks, which story SHOULD be yours?

Beyond Marketing & Advertising Ribbon Cutting

My business partner Sandy cuts the ribbon with me, Alee (hiding behind me), and the Jenks Chamber of Commerce.

Sandy and I are excited to announce the opening of Beyond Marketing & Advertising, a full-service ad agency outside Tulsa, OK.

Our office is located inside the beautiful RiverWalk Crossing center in Jenks, OK.

I’ll still be blogging here at Casual Fridays and will continue doing some work (speaking & consulting) under The People Brand. We feel like Sandy’s broadcast advertising experience balances nicely with my non-traditional approaches to marketing.

So, it’s an exciting time over here and changes keep happening.  Just thought I’d share the happenings.

Here are a few tidbits from my presentation yesterday. I spent most of my blog time (and more) preparing to speak at Entrepreneur’s Day, so this might be my only post this week.

The Marketing Proverb

If this is a marketing proverb, what is the moral?

or, some ad agencies prefer to

…simply entertain.

Do you ask this question?

How did you hear about us?

TV

Radio

Newspaper

Direct Mail

Billboard

Other

Hey car dealers… want to see some results?

When you see 71% of car purchasing decisions are influenced by word of mouth…

You’re right, but you can…

How do you influence word of mouth?

I’m not talking fashion trendsetters (unless you’re an apparel company). If you’re a technology company, these are the geeks. They’re the raving fans of your industry.

Do you make it easy for people to hand off your message to others?  More on this here.

The coupon above might get one person to show up, but it doesn’t encourage them to hand off the baton.

This coupon creates social currency. “You’ll like me more because I got us all free drinks.”

Online (blogs/message boards) or offline (customer advisory boards/customer events).

So, maybe we add two lines to our marketing proverb:

And the moral of our NEW proverb is…

Management Impact
Wednesday, Feb 28th 2007
BMA Tulsa Luncheon (11:30 -1:00)

Jack Hayhow of Opus Communications

Focusing on the four key activities of all great managers, Jack will show how great managers provide employees what they need to increase productivity and profit.

Jack and his book, Wisdom of the Flying Pig, were featured on Brand Autopsy exactly one year ago today. (what are the odds?)

If you’re in the Tulsa area, RSVP for this event.

The Overlooked Marketing Edge
Thursday, March 1st 2007
2007 Entrepreneur Day Tradeshow (2:30 PM)

Dustin Staiger, Beyond Marketing & Advertising

I’ll be speaking during Entrepreneur Day at the Claremore Expo Center next Thursday. I’ll cover how businesses (especially small businesses and startups) overlook an important channel when addressing their marketing. Everyone knows about it, but few know they can affect it.

If you’re interested in attending Entrepreneur Day, contact Rick Reimer at (918) 671-3011.

If you’re in the areas of Tulsa / Oklahoma City / Kansas City / Bentonville, AR / Springfield, MO… you’ll want to attend this annual seminar:

BMA Tulsa’s Annual Seminar

Business Coaches Clinic: Winning as Individuals and Organizations
Friday March 30th
9:00 AM – 4:15 PM
OSU-Tulsa

Mark your calendars for March 30th!

We’re very excited about the 2007 BMA Tulsa Seminar, featuring Dr. Jay Kent Ferraro and Michael Wagner. The catered keynote luncheon presentation will be given by Rick Couri of KRMG.

The Engaged Organization

Mike Wagner , White Rabbit Group

Mike Wagner is Founder & President of White Rabbit Group – an organization committed to help groups find innovation and new possibilities from an unlikely source… themselves! Mike will give some great coaching tips for your business team to break out of the rut, get unstuck, and see how far they can follow the “white rabbit.”

Mike also authors a marketing blog – Own Your Brand, and regularly contributes to MarketingProfs, an online “webzine” of marketing expertise.

The Emotionally Intelligent Leader

Dr. Jay Kent Ferraro, Empowerment Technologies

Dr. Jay is the Founder of Empowerment Technologies – a national executive coaching, training and consulting firm in Tulsa, OK. Dr. Jay’s expertise in Emotional Intelligence is being used in Fortune 500 companies across the country. He will share how emotionally competent people create success for their organizations. It’s no longer about how smart you are (IQ), but how you are smart (EQ).

Registration information will be available soon. Contact me for more information.

“Our product is superior to the competition. Our advertising shows people how we’re better. Why aren’t people buying our product?”

There could be many reasons, but today I’m going to focus on one possibility: You’re not talking to the green cows. (before you question my sanity, read the rest)

A lot of marketing and advertising focuses on what you get if you buy. Believe it or not, most people don’t care about what they can get. They care about what they’re missing.

And there is a difference.

I could sell $19 DVD players year round, but Best Buy would sell more for $29 in one day (after Thanksgiving) because people don’t want to miss the sales event.

I could create the best drama on television, but people would rather watch American Idol so they don’t miss out on the water cooler talk at work.

The key isn’t just creating greener grass and educating the public on its benefits. The key is getting greener grass closer to the green cows. Those who want what is on the other side of the fence. They don’t have it, but it is attainable with the opening of a gate (purchase, investment of time or effort, entering a contest, etc.).

“How do I get my grass on the other side of the green cow’s fence?” Asking this question may answer the question at the top of this post.

I’ve grown quite fond of my old-style hats. I have a fedora and a willis hat. When I wear theses hats I get comments from people (and sometimes stares). Yet, these were the hats everyone used to wear. Now, it seems like a very new thing to do.

Of course trends come and go and come back again. That’s nothing new. But it has made me think about how some of the recent trends in marketing are not new, but old. When business became modern, the old way became passé. In our postmodern world, old has become new:

*see Brand Autopsy’s High-Tech vs. High-Touch post

**see Seth Godin

Some business owners say they don’t “buy into” marketing. They characterize their business as nuts and bolts. Providing a high quality product to the customer is the path to success.

By educating the public about the superior features of your product, people will see the truth and buy your brand.

The problem is most people aren’t interested in the naked truth. See this Jewish parable:

Truth, naked and cold, had been turned away from every door in the village. Her nakedness frightened people. When Parable found her she was huddled in a corner, shivering and hungry. Taking pity on her, Parable gathered her up and took her home. There, she dressed Truth in story, warmed her and sent her out again. Clothed in story, Truth knocked again at the villagers’ doors and was readily welcomed into the people’s houses. They invited her to eat at their table and warm herself by their fire.

Ironically, even by saying you’re a nuts and bolts business – you’re telling a story. But are the messages you send out clothed in story as well? Is the story they see on TV or on your website consistent with the story the hear when they interact with your employees or read your instruction manual?

Are you sending out the truth naked and cold to be shut out of every door? Are you giving features and markets served? Don’t be afraid to discover your story, embrace it, and tell it to others.

That goes for individuals as well as organizations.

Here’s a great example of the truth wrapped in a story (via Ernie Schenck):

My wife and I attended a piano concert this week. Before the pianist would play a piece, he would give some background on the composer and the meaning behind the composition.

It was amazing how knowing the background of Debussy’s General Lavine made it more meaningful. Otherwise, I would have simply considered it a pretty arrangement of notes. Especially since I barely knew who Debussy was, let alone General Lavine (a popular turn of 20th century American juggler).

A big part of communicating effectively is in conveying context. But we tend to do one of two things:

1. Assume everyone knows the context.

2. Communicate context in static, drawn out, boring, and generally uninteresting ways.

If people do know the context, then reiterating it in a creative way will only reinforce your message.

Though context surrounds your message, do not marginalize it.

The race for Lieutenant Governor in Oklahoma was an interesting race. It was especially interesting for me because the Republican candidate Todd Hiett hails from my original hometown of Kellyville, OK. Todd is a little bit older than me, but in a town that size (population of about 1,000) you can’t help but know everyone else. So I knew him as I grew up.

Todd had some very well produced commercials. Resonating voice overs, saturated and soft film clips, sharp graphics, and a carefully chosen catch phrase (Steps to the future).

So, why did he lose the race?

I could delve into his political platform or how the issues were framed. But honestly, I don’t think that is where the race was lost.

I believe the race was lost at the same moment Todd lost his humanity. Through these professional ads, he (or more likely his campaign advisors) traded his humanity in for celebrity status. Meanwhile his opponent came off as the aunt who always brings your favorite cookies to Thanksgiving dinner. Approachable.

Like I said, I know where Todd comes from. Kellyville is a small town. Very quaint. The people there are proud to have the House Majority Leader as a citizen. They’d be even prouder of a Lieutenant Governor. Yet, we never saw the pride on their faces. We never heard the story of a small town boy making a difference in his great state (ala Clinton from Hope, Arkansas).

Instead, we heard about tax cuts. We were told marriage is a union between a man and a woman. We were reminded how he helped balance the budget.

As this race drew to a close with Hiett lagging behind Askins, I couldn’t help but think about a Rick Warren quote referenced by Bert Decker (via John Moore of Brand Autopsy).

Celebrities vs. Heroes – Rick said we need fewer celebrities and more heroes. Celebrities sacrifice to gain success for themselves. Heroes sacrifice for others.

I would go further and say we need fallible heroes. We need more Peter Parkers (Spiderman) and fewer Clark Kents (Superman). As the Wizard of Ads Roy Williams puts it (hat tip: Bill Kinnon):

Baby Boomers were idealists who worshipped heroes, perfect icons of beauty and success. Today these icons are seen as phony, posed and laughable. Our cool as ice, suave lady’s man James Bond has become the comic poser Austin Powers or the tragically flawed and vulnerable Jason Bourne of The Bourne Identity. That’s the essence of the new worldview; the rejection of delusion, a quiet demand for gritty truth. We’re seeing it reflected in our movies, our television shows and our music.

Once again, it comes back to the people brand. I think this will continue to frame politicians, businesses, churches, and causes. What is your ‘people brand’? Celebrity or hero?

I was recently reading about the new Apple Mac Pro computers on digg. What’s most interesting is the reaction Apple gets from any announcement. Apple fans usually love it. Apple haters hate it (go figure). Reading their comments on digg is not for the faint of heart.

Why does Apple alienate these people? All they have to do is make their operating system run on PCs, make their music software play nice with MP3 players other than the iPod and stop those condescending ads. Then what? Then they’ll win everyone over?

Nope.

Then they’ll be just like everyone else. Conformed.

Apple still follows the philosophy of their early evangelist, Guy Kawasaki. Kawasaki encourages companies to polarize people. When I first saw that in one of Guy’s presentations, I wasn’t sure I agreed. Now, I couldn’t agree more.

Not many companies would advertise free cupcakes for professed Bush haters. Most anyone with “good business sense” would have at least added a second sign:
“Tell us you hate HILLARY and get a free COOKIE!”

But that destroys any semblance of a story. It tells people nothing about our company, except that we ride the fence.

And we fail to realize the fence we’re riding is made of barbed wire.

Update

After an offline conversation with a buddy, Jason, it became clear that I should clarify one thing.  Whatever polarizes people concerning your business needs to be authentic.  By doing so, detractors actually help galvanize your supporters.

Nearly 2.5 million views in two weeks.

I can’t stop playing this video.

I think the beauty of it is how a big, polished production doesn’t get in the way of the even bigger idea.

The music’s pretty good too.

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Hat tip: Bill Kinnon