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So, Santa Monica nixed bus ads for America’s Top Model. I don’t think Miss Tyra’s going to be too pleased.
Got this from the folks boingboing. Having seen the Boston police’s reaction to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force promotion and now this, do ya think these guys are on edge?
Note to self. If marketing is all about “surprising” the customers, think twice before you do it in Boston. The promotion could literally blow up in your face.
I’ve always been a proponent of a European vacation (sans hostels, s’il vous plait). Now it turns out you can’t just visit. You have to LIVE in Europe to be happy
An European Commission Poll showed that 87 percent of European Union Citizens considered themselves happy, with the highest percentage (97) being Danish.
So, what’s the secret to happiness across the waters? Contrary to what you might think, it’s not all those cool pastries Danes get to have for breakfast. The poll says confidence in one’s pension helps make life a little easier.
I also submit that a common thread is universal health care. More than half of all U.S. bankruptcies are caused by illness or medical debt. No wonder we’re so grumpy…and unhealthy…over here.
I’m beginning to feel sad for The Gap. Earlier this year, they announced a changing of the guard because old strategies weren’t making hoodies fly off the shelves.
Well, I looked at the Forth & Towne Web site a while ago and wasn’t impressed. Being older doesn’t mean one loses a sense of fashion. What's with the pleated skirts and caridgans?
And one more thing. Why would you give a shop for near-mid-life women the initials FAT? Not a good strategy. Nope.
Who knew that Jakob Nielsen is still writing about Web communications? Who knew that he hasn’t change a thing about his site, either? Same old font as always
Anyway, I like what he has to say about teaching children “deep” computer skills as opposed to how to navigate MS Office, etc. All my training in Excel back in 19(hmmm hmmm) when I went to business school hasn’t kept me up to speed.
Maybe if we taught our kids more about computers they could come up with better – or more functional – tools that revolutionize, instead of rehash, the same old business practices.
I finally went out and bought a Mac this weekend. I was tired of being the guy with the pot belly and glasses. It seemed much cooler being the laid back dude whose “peripherals” aren’t showin
So far, Mac ownership isn’t bad. Love the Photo Booth program on the MacBook. My daughter and I have taken more than 100 pictures of each other using the “Warhol-esque” background. Ease-of-use has been very nice. It appears the Mac programs want to help you along. However, I’m not a huge fan of the MS Office for Mac program. There seems to be something missing. And the fact that I can’t make entries on my blog program is a bummer (hear that, Movable Type???)
I resisted Mac ownership for a very long time because I believed it my PC worklife wouldn’t integrate with my Mac personal use. So far, that concerned hasn’t panned out. That said, anyone considering a Mac should realize that the costs are higher. My basic Macbook was $1700 by the time the Apple Store guy was done with me.
If you want to be a cooler-than-thou Mac user, read up on the pros and cons It’s not been a perfect transition, but I can say there are benefits to moving Mac-side..
Truth is, there aren’t that many chief executive officers who have the time or patience to put together an entry on a regular basis. The result? It usually goes back to us, the corporate communications pros.
Now, what if you’re a corporate com person and the CEO blog is back in your lap? Is it honest to ghostwrite a CEO blog? After all, we write the CEO’s speeches, letters and most other mass correspondence. So, why not take control of the blog?It’s a good question. For one thing, having corporate com in charge of the blog means the message is consistent. On the other hand, it’s a bit of a lie. What do you think?
Are you working with on-the-job blogger? Do they come home from work and spill the company beans? I know that there are a ton of job bloggers out there. To them, blogging is a release – a chance to let go of all their employee frustrations.
I’m a business writing instructor. So, when I see articles on “how to avoid colloquial (informal) writing,” I cringe. Truth is, I like informal writing, especially in business.
Actually, I agree with much of the article I hyperlinked. Yes, “filler” words, sentences ending in prepositions and clichés are all bad. But contractions – what’s so wrong with them?
There’s a middle ground when it comes to business writing. Use proper grammar. Just don’t be so darn stuffy that you aren’t writing to your audience. And writing to your audience is the number one rule of any form of writing.
Does this store never learn? Do you still have to have a white face to model for A&F? Sheesh.
I have always worked for organizations where women make up the majority of the workforce. Most of my career has been in health care, which can mean an employee population as high as 80 percent female.
I don’t understand why so much of corporate communications is militaristic. It’s the kind of macho stuff that can’t possibly inspire either men or women working in cubicles. Their “wars” are over room on the server, not occupation of enemy territory.
I recognize that many of us were taught that The Art of War is the ultimate guide to corporate success. I beg to differ. Let’s celebrate the creativity and innovation of great individuals like Da Vinci and put the war manuals to rest.
I’ve been looking into “sound symbolism” recently because a project has me looking at names and our emotional response to them.
Take a look at the picture. Which one is a taketa and which a naluma? Apparently, almost everyone would say the angular graphic is a taketa and the curved one is a naluma.Why? Consonants such as “t” and “k” are considered harder (more angular) and consonants such as “l” and “m” are perceived as softer. So, if you’re all business, choose a name with hard consonants. Want to be warm and fuzzy? Go for the softer sounds. Makes sense, no?
I got this little exercise from the folks at Lexicon, a branding organization. Check out their Web site for some interesting information on the science of naming.
Adfreak reports that this image is still on the Jet Blue Web site. It’s a great promise, but clearly one that has yet to be fulfilled. Last month, I wrote of my son’s lost luggage on Jet Blue. Thank goodness we weren’t held hostage on their plane for eight hours. The bag, however, was a different story.
Marcom Mavens, are you bullfighters? I’m talking about countering the “bull” words that are part of corporate America. You know what I’m talking about – a commitment to excellence, thinking out of the box and, of course, the ever-present “synergistic attitude.”
Remember Clear Beer? How about Touch of Yoghurt Shampoo or Pepsi AM? These are just some of the many brand failures floated by some big-name companies.
In the spirit of learning from our mistakes, check out this blog on brand failures. It’s not only entertaining (as in who thought of THAT), it also includes helpful “lessons learned” at the end of each story. I like that … nothing ventured, nothing gained, you know.
Now I’ve got to take a spin in my La Femme (a pink car for “the ladies” introduced by Chrysler in the 1950s).
Quick. Quick. What is this? Come on all you graphic artists, what does it say?According to boingboing.net, The International Atomic Energy Agency issued a new warning symbol to supplement the traditional radiation warning symbol (which always looked like an evil ceiling fan to me). Not sure I get the guy running from a skeleton, but in a pinch, I’m sure most folks would say the situation doesn’t look too good.
What do I think of the Dove Pro-age commercials and Web site? In theory, it's great. Instead of anti-age, it's pro-age, get it? 
An interesting revelation from Salon.com. It seems that subscribers contribute less to the bottom-line than ads. I don’t find this news all that intriguing, except the model appears to be a bit off. Subscribers pay for the privilege of not seeing ads.
Now, if we were talking about some other site, I really wouldn’t be concerned. But this is Salon.com, one of the first sites to offer truly worthwhile content. While everyone else was slapping their brochures and print copy onto the Web, Salon.com generated interesting, Web-specific content. It has always been smart, informative and content-rich.
Unfortunately, the site isn’t quite as smart about how it treats its advertisers. Salon.com's advertisers are obviously its bread and butter – the numbers don’t lie. Seems it should practice a little savvy marketing and give the advertisers more value for the dollars they’re willing to spend.Say what you will about overly commercial holidays (hey, we're in marketing, folks), but I like Valentine's Day. It's nice to take a moment and recognize the folks who are special in our lives.
So, Happy Valentine's Day to my husband and two kids. You guys not only make me feel special, you bring out the best in me and you tolerate the worst.
You tolerate me when I'm frazzled, bummed, harried and barking about "just asking that SOMEONE to pick up their stuff around here." You push me out the door when I'm anxious about something at work and welcome me home when I've spent the night teaching or at a meeting that lasted far too long.
But better than all that, you are the guys who inspire me. You teach me every day what it means to be a better person. I may not live up to it, but you're still trying to throw a few lessons my way …and I thank you for it. Happy V-Day!
Is it different marketing non-profits? I’ve worked for non-profits for more than 20 years and I can tell you that the for-profits certainly think so. Try telling the big guys in the for-profit world about your modest budget marketing campaign and they’ll sniff in your face. “That can’t be real marketing,” they’ll tell you.
On the plus side, you’re also working for a greater good, so at the end of the day you feel a little bit better. You’ve used your creativity, strategic mind, p.r. contacts, etc. to further a worthy cause. And that’s damn good marketing.
Spent most of the weekend at a dance competition with my nine-year-old. I have no idea who won because everyone got a “first” or “high first” place.
But as I sat there watching group after group of scantily clad pre-teens busting moves to rap songs and slinking off the stage, I wondered whether or not I was subjecting my kid to a bit of exploitation. I was certainly second-guessing myself as I saw my own baby girl’s midriff gyrating back and forth. Have I helped exploit young kids in any way?
After the day was over, I decided to stop kicking myself. Competitive dancing teaches kids to be more disciplined, goal-oriented and sometimes, graceful losers. The sexy part, well, that’s just part of the fun. (Ever watch four-year-olds play dress up?)
I don’t recall any competitive pre-teen dancers growing up to be ax murderers. They just grow up and maybe they’ve learned some decent lessons along the way.
I've been thinking about my marketing class, which I'll start teaching again this spring. It's much different than my business writing class. The marketing class is an introductory class that is designed to interest students in studying more about the field. Here are a few pointers I've learned after a decade of introducing students to marketing: First nail down the basics – My class is "Beyond the Four P's," which means understanding price, promotion, placement and product is essential. Early on, we talk about pricing for value, the advantages of multiple forms of media, creating products to fit your target's needs, etc. These are the fundamentals and I make sure students are provided many examples.
Encourage minds to stretch – In marketing, creativity gets high points. Students get B's and C's when they follow the book too closely. A's are reserved for risk-takers and those who stretch basic concepts into innovative ideas.Participation is great, but it's not everything – I've learned over the years that the most participatory students aren't always your best. Sure, they're fantastic for helping move along the class, but I've spotted a few gems who hand in amazing papers without saying much in class. If possible, get to these students early and encourage them to share their ideas.
Invite guest speakers – This basic rule of teaching is very true for marketing instructors. Since the term "marketing" encompasses so much, you can't possible know everything about the field. Invite professionals from market research, public relations and advertising to speak. And look for those working in a variety of disciplines – finance, retail, food, etc. All this variety will excite students to the many opportunities available in marketing.Above all, let students know that any introductory marketing class just touches upon a small piece of the profession. Marketing involves so many different aspects. Your job as a teacher is to whet their appetite and encourage them to explore the vast possibilities.
I am in the midst of writing a novel. I have stopped and started this book throughout my adult life, but this time, I think I’m going to actually finish. Today marked 37,000 words, which means I am officially 74% done (based on the presumption that a decent tome is 50,000 words).
I have no delusions that this novel will ever get published. Thousands upon thousands of us would-be novelists bang out novels each year. Only a small percentage ever make their way to a salable work.
Yet, I highly recommend the process of writing a novel. Here’s what my scribblings have taught me so far:
More on the novel later. Til then, back to the business of marcom…
I am not a political pundit. I’m just a marketer and public relations professional tired of the Bush administration’s mishandling of the war. I want change and can’t wait until 2008.
From a public relations perspective, this all looks kind of bad for the Dem candidates. Clinton, of course, is on the defensive. Obama is a rising star yet so vulnerable to attack that one almost wants him to lie low for another six months.
With so much at stake, wouldn’t it be great to see Obama and Clinton much more united in their attack against the Bush administration? What if they went into all this pre-primary frenzy together? And what if they both decided that if they both run on the same ticket, it wouldn’t be such a bad situation for America?
There’s too much at stake to let in-fighting prevent much-needed change in America. If Clinton and Obama presented a united front, their presence could indeed be audacious.
It’s been a week of non-stories, but good ones nevertheless. We started with the diaper-wearing, retribution-seeking astronaut and ended with the competition to claim oneself the father of Anna Nicole’s baby.
Somewhere in the mix, the GOP tried to sneak in a story about Nancy Pelosi wanting a bigger jet than the guys. And someone else complained about all the phallic symbols in Prince’s Super Bowl show. Hmmm, and I thought the all-male news assignment desk was a thing of the past.
Of course, there’s still that nasty war going on, but no one really wants to hear about that. Too depressing. Dragging on too long.
Obviously, there’s a big, giant, gaping news hole out there, my fellow p.r. pros. Someone’s got to fill it. Just try to pitch something better than a diaper-wearing potential fourth father who rides around in a phallic jet. That’s so yesterday.
An article in today’s Los Angeles Times says women (well, actually “moms”) are turning off network news in the morning. There are all types of speculation about why this demo is zapping out Matt, Meredith, Diane, etc. The silliest is that they don’t want to hear any bad news.
Morning news features are scattershot across the bow – something for women, something for men, something for who really knows? The Today Show had a whole spate of “what’s cool on YouTube” segments that was frankly a little bizarre.
It’s all basic marketing (again!). Know your audience. Find out what they want to know and when they need to know it. Be smart. Don’t talk down. Respect peoples’ time. But then again, every marketer knows that stuff…
So long, Anna Nicole. You were the best blonde of our generation. Forget about Paris Hilton. That’s just privilege gone awry.
I hope that the Marilyn comparisons don’t stick. This kid was her own person. She picked a definite personality and marketed the heck out of it. I don’t recall Marilyn hitching to the star of an 89-year-old oil tycoon. That move was pure Anna Nicole and boy did the public and the press love it.
Long ago, I figured that I didn’t have to live the life of a brunette. I chose red only because I knew I couldn’t live up to being a great American blonde. Anna Nicole definitely picked the right color. She was the blondest of the blondes and it will take a long line of wanna-bes to catch up.
So long, Anna Nicole. You did it like no one else could.
Recently, the Doomsday Clock got moved up a few minutes and it generated significant press. Apparently, we’re close – but not quite at – the scary time set during the Cold War.
I remember growing up with some pretty smart television, books and films that took the chill off the Cold War scene. We had Get Smart and Spy vs. Spy, to name just two. And yes, I was one of a whole host of second graders chanting, “Would you believe?” and “Missed it by that much.”
How different things are today. While kids today have Shrek, I pine for Rocky and Bullwinkle. Shrek does a fair job of ripping corporate greed a new one, but it’s timid in facing other ogres. Rocky and Bullwinkle diminished the whole Evil Empire-stuff into a short man with a bad accent and a desire to procure a mouse and a squirrel.
Mel Brooks got it right when he wrote The Producers (not the icky rip-off Producers, but the original one). He knew that a great defense was to make the bad guys look like fools. Anyone dare to pen “Springtime for Terrorists?
Loved this piece broadcast all over on Yahoo news (not like I had to go digging for it!). Anyway, I've been teaching my business writing students to treat a resume like a marketing piece for years. /woman_on_cell_phone_3.gif)
“I could do your job.”
Why is everybody a marketer? Simple. Everyone observes marketing (as I’ve said before, marketers’ work is always in the public eye).
But just observing marketing doesn’t mean that you can do it. A good marketer has many more tricks in her pocket, including:
All day, John Lennon’s refrain of “Nobody told me there’d be days like this” has been ringing in my head. Ever have one of those days? Like when you mess up on a presentation, when you get a nasty note from up above (and we’re not talking heaven, mind you) or when all the stuff that was going right seems to have veered left?
Now, the following is not a cure for depression. But it is a way to make you feel better when your days seem to be more dreary than bubbly sunshine. Let’s think about all the reasons why you love marketing:
Creativity reigns – Mind you, acceptance of your creativity may not be there, but at least you get to throw some pretty cool thoughts on the wall every once in a while.“Been there, done that” doesn’t cut it – If you’re doing marketing right, you’re always challenged to think different, do something out of the ordinary or scale a new height; plenty of desk jobs don’t offer these challenges.
It’s all a massive experiment – Besides my father (a chemist), I don’t know too many people who get to run a series of experiments for a living. Good marketers experiment all the time.You get to express yourself – Come on, you know that every one of your good marketing projects has a tiny bit of “you” in it; embrace the “you” that you contribute!
You’ll win in the long run – Believe me, your idea will be embraced sooner or later. You just have to communicate it better, tweak it or spiff it up. But if it’s a good idea, it will catch on in some form or another.If you’re a marketer having “a day,” think about all the good things you get to do (yes, even if no one appreciates them). Find a little joy before the day ends. Start a blog (who cares if no one reads it???). Take a crack at writing your novel. Learn a stupid dance from your kid (but don’t even try to be good at it).
And, yeah, there’ll be days like this. But then again, there are also some pretty good days in our profession. Til tomorrow….
I spent the weekend researching marketing dashboards. There isn’t a huge amount written about dashboards that work well. Most of what I found was from vendors who want to convince you that dumping several grand into their software will solve your problems.
I especially like LaPointe’s discussion of the marketing funnel, a concept that we all know but rarely make reference to when trying to explain whether or not a campaign worked. The funnel concept reminds us that a great awareness campaign doesn’t immediately lend itself to recurring profits. It’s just the top of the funnel. From there, several steps must occur – some of which marketing has little direct control over (including the frontline).
As LaPointe writes, “The trouble is too often companies separate marketing from sales, creating a handoff mentality in which each department believes it is doing its part, but the other is not pulling its weight.” With proper measurement, however, you can find the “funnel leaks” and achieve a well-integrated marketing approach.
Unfortunately, metrics seem to stymie us a bit in the marketing world. Our left-brain, right-brain conflicts kick in and we become paranoid about others demanding accountability. LaPointe’s book makes the process less intimidating and encourages marketers to take control of their own dashboards – a very wise thing to do.It’s here again…the annual “send your money down a dark hole” marathon. Today, many of our top organizations will be forcing their dollars through the screen of your plasma television.
Why? Because about 23 years ago, Apple computers hit it big with a Super Bowl commercial that touted their new Mac computer.
Wake up, marketers! That was 23 years ago. The media choices have changed tremendously! One-time television commercials seldom work. I’m taking wagers right now on this blog… wanna bet that maybe one of the whole lot that you’ll see today has any chance of making an impact? All the rest will be a blur of horses, sexy girls and burping animated characters drinking beer. Ho hum.
In this day and age, marketers have so much more opportunity to stretch their creativity. Do something interactive (I’m hoping against hope that the Super Bowl ads have SOME interactivity), become more focused on knowing your market or just break out of the same routine.
Gotta go. It’s Super Bowl time. Ho hum…
I suppose I should comment on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. After all, everyone else has! I feel somewhat obligated because I wrote in praise of guerilla marketing not long ago.
Aqua Teen is a cartoon featuring the foods teens supposedly consume the most. There’s a milk shake, a bag of fries and something that’s supposed to be meat but has always looked like poo to me. This, of course, makes my son laugh hysterically because, well, teens aren’t supposed to be eating poo.
Anyway, what strikes me about the uproar over a couple of light boards flung around Boston is that the same stunt was tried in several other cities without so much as a whimper. No one branded it a potential terrorism threat. Everyone else sort of ignored it.When the uproar settles down, all that’s left is a very lame attempt at getting attention. How creative is a lit-up cartoon flashing the finger?
The real threat, it seems, is lame marketers with zero creativity wasting their clients’ dollars
I have had a very freaky day today. I heard my name on the Today Show, heard it on NPR and saw it in the newspaper.
Only problem? It wasn’t me! It seems there is a highly intelligent, very influential scientist with my name who has just issued a report on global warming that could be – and should be – earth shaking. It’s a critical paper that says the fault for global climate change, dear humans, lies in us. And, if nothing is done, it will only get worse.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m proud to share my name with such an important person. Yes, it disturbs me a little that as of this week, she has pushed me to page four or five of a Google search. But if Susan Solomon – the great one – awakens us all to our current perilous path, I’m o.k. with giving up a bit of my own identity. It’s a small sacrifice for the woman who can change the world.
Sooner or later, a really big mistake happens to most of us in marketing and communicaitons. I’m not talking a minor typo in a memo, a botched calculation in a report or a few pages out of order in a PowerPoint.
Is there a way to fix a very big marketing mistake? Sometimes. I believe the best thing to do is to follow the lessons taught in service recovery:
1. Promptly acknowledge the problem – Even if the mistake was caused by a vendor, it doesn’t really matter. Your customer has been inconvenienced and therein lies the problem.
2. Apologize – This step must be done sincerely, not a simple brush off.
3. Fix the problem – If it can be fixed, do it as quickly as possible. If not, get to work to fix the situation so it doesn’t happen again. Tell the customer and all others that the problem is being addressed.
4. Do something extra for those who have been affected – If it is possible to comp the customer, do it. If a donation must be made to an injured party, do it. You’re not “buying trust.” You’re showing in a concrete manner how much you want to make good on the issue.
5. Follow up – Develop processes to prevent the problem in the future. Let it be known internally what needs to get done. Track your progress.
And finally, don’t beat yourself up. Move on. In marketing and public relations, almost all your efforts are public efforts. Your errors will naturally seem bigger because they are often on display. Live with what has happened and learn for the next time.
The world is buzzing about Super Tonio, the 14.5-pound baby born in Cancun, Mexico. Reaction differs among the sexes. While men may say, “Whatta guy,” women wince and think, “Ouch.”
What’s the lesson t
