Archive for the "Advertising" Category
Feb26

Selling Like The King

Posted at 9:30 AM • View Comments

Remember when Burger King first showed us how to “Wake Up with the King” with a series of commercials that showed a really weird guy in a mascot get-up?  Everyone seemed to be a little freaked out by him; but now everyone sees him as a mainstream character.  If you’re working on business development inside a start-up, this is how your clients will view your new product, and your goal is to get them thinking about your product as something they need to have.

Like the BK commercials, starting out, your clients are a little shocked and distorted by the images shown to them.  After their initial confusion has passed,they quickly try to process and translate the images that have just passed in front of their eyes.  This is the part where you have to be on top of your game because it’s now your job to “connect the dots” for them.  If you fail at this juncture, then you will lose your prospect quickly; and it’s will be terribly hard to get them listening again.

These 3 things will help get them interested and the conversation warm:

1)    Know Your Product In and Out – Seems obvious right?  Well, it’s not enough to know just your product.  You must to know all the ones that are alike, seems alike and nowhere near alike.  This is your golden opportunity to establish yourself as an expert.  In a business relationship, this is what will make you trustworthy.
2)    Be Familiar with Their Needs – Don’t be arrogant in trying to know more about the client’s business needs than they do.  You won’t, and it makes you look unprofessional.  Some business development professionals are so anxious to get a client that they start sprouting off irrelevant ideas.  Instead, have an idea of what they might be looking for and begin a dialogue with your prospect at that point.  Listen!
3)    Establish a Strong Follow-Up Agenda – You just found out their true needs, so how can you possibly have a solution for them already?  If you’re selling something revolutionary, then you can’t.  Even if you think you already have a “God-like” solution in mind, establish a follow-up agenda.  It will show that A) You care about their brand and want to give them the best possible solution and B) You now have a reason to follow-up that is mutually beneficial.

When selling a “revolutionary” product, it’s important to remember that they don’t have to have your business because in their mind they have survived to this point without it.  It’s your job to understand your product and their needs, so you can “connect the dots” for them.

These 3 simple strategies will help you sell like The King by helping potential clients brush off the initial confusion of your product and get them to look at your product as a mainstay of their business success.030508burgerking

Oct16

Future of Mobile Ads

Posted at 1:45 AM • View Comments

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

*Almost 20% of game-playing respondents to an In-Stat consumer survey report downloading games from Internet sites other than their mobile carrier’s site.
*Of the 2,000 respondents, 29.5% reported playing games on their mobile handsets.
*In-Stat predicts the global mobile gaming market will top $6.8 billion by 2013.

Source: Cellular News

Stats surrounding mobile advertising are always out of this world because no one really has a clue where it’s going to go.   My curiosity runs high in this market because, like everyone else, I see so much potential.  However, like several other advertising mediums, it lacks a standard structure.

Google’s Android is about to release on the T-Mobile G1 in an attempt to compete with the iPhone.  Right now, a ton of money exists in the application market, but it is subsidized by user-purchases not advertising.  However, only 20% of cell phone users use smart phones (Blackberry, Android, iPhone), so how do companies capitalize on the rest of the market aside from ringtones, SMS and MMS?

What do you see as the next big step in mobile advertising?

Aug24

Seinfeld and Bill Gates Go to College

Posted at 5:00 PM • View Comments

Microsoft’s ego is so large that they fail to acknowledge the principles that have helped make Apple a successful lifestyle products company and are increasingly losing market share in the computer space.  Since Steve Jobs has come on board, he has shown Apple as a simple design company by using young and fresh technology, and their ads have always reflected this.  Microsoft’s new Vista strategy is to do the opposite with a 54-year old comedian.  Really?

I have always loved Seinfeld and Apple.  I don’t hate Microsoft at all, but I feel as though the only reason I keep a copy of their OS (Windows) on my MacBook Pro is because I have to do so, and I rarely use it.  I assume that most Windows users feel the same.  More and more people are asking me if they can buy a Mac and still do “A, B or C” on the Mac like they do Windows.  95% of the time, I answer, “Yes.”

Since Apple switched from Apple Computer, they have run their “Windows versus Mac” ads that use Justin Long to illustrate Leopard’s superiority over Windows.  Apple has always had a high cool factor, but the ads are genius because they bring the idea of switching to consumers in a simple fashion.

Microsoft wants to attract a new generation of users by targeting young people.  According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is about to unveil a “Seinfeld Campus Tour” around the country where Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates do a series of commercials.   Seinfeld is one of the most popular celebrities in the world, but his show ended in 1998; and although you can find it on TBS every night, I don’t see him as the cool person to help Microsoft push their latest message.

College is a time when most kids go nuts and discover new things.  Listening to parents is not a commonly practiced pastime of college students and that seems the premise behind the campaign.  I have a feeling the next generation of Apple ads will be about Apple making fun of Microsoft ads being irrelevant.

Aug12

Starbucks Doubleshot Strategy

Posted at 2:04 PM • View Comments

I went into Starbucks today to nab an Iced Mocha to get my creative juices flowing.  Upon paying, I was granted a receipt that announced my next iced grande beverage would be only $2.  The catch is that it has to be:

•    The same day at the same store
•    It also has to be after 2pm
•    Taxed aren’t included

Starbucks recently announced plans to close approximately 600 stores around the country.  Two of those stores are near me in Atlanta, but I’ve yet to see them shut down.  Starbucks’ new Doubleshot Strategy focuses on their two peak times, which  are in the morning and late in the afternoon when people need that kick.  I assume Starbucks is hoping to create morning and afternoon addicts.

It seems like a good strategy for doubling up business.  However, I think it is only a quick fix like their Pike’s Peak promo fiasco.  I think their idea closing locations to bring the exclusivity back to their brand is what will help drive the Starbucks brand back to investor delight.

$2 Off an Iced Beverage after 2PM

$2 Off an Iced Beverage after 2PM

Apr7

Size Matters!

Posted at 10:52 PM • View Comments

Recently, I’ve had a few conversations about emerging media and technology with corporate marketing heads. For many companies, they are just now thinking about or starting emerging media departments. One of the common themes that quickly come up is my view on the upcoming generations and the role mobile will play. I’m quick to bring up two points in each conversation.

One, as Cyriac Roeding pointed out earlier this year, the content has got to be redesigned for mobile applications. Companies can’t afford to simply re-purpose online content and then redistribute it amongst cell phones. Too many companies are doing this, and it’s a waste of time. This is discussion for another post though.

The second point I bring up is that companies must start looking past cell phones and iPods. People, especially Gen-Y and early adopters, are about to take their living rooms with them. Recently, I’ve seen Intel ads for a new processor scattered amongst technology sites and LinkedIn. Intel is working on a chip that powers nothing more than a simple computer….no big hard drive, no DVD player, etc. They are designing chips for laptops that won’t be much bigger than a PSP. Need space? Today, you can grab a 250+GB hard drive the size of passport for under $200. My future laptop need be nothing more than a screen, keyboard and USB port. Check out these pictures of the future Lenovo line courtesy of John Bancroft.

Lenovo Mobile Internet Device

Stack of MIDs with Apple iPhone

Here’s an Intel Netbook via Engadget.

My life would be so easy if I could put everything I need in my jacket pocket. The future of music will be streamed not downloaded. I already mentioned my 250GB USB drive. With the power of Google, new frontiers in social media and the upcoming breakout of Web 3.0, I may not even need that large hard drive except for backup purposes. I could be streaming my life to that little device.

Obviously, the emergence of these devices will help define the direction of mobile advertising. But, how fast will companies digest these new processes? They have to think past the mobile phone with SMS. Companies need to start having more conversations with their consumers. This is one area where I see Twitter becoming so powerful. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but GM is already starting to take the lead on Twitter. I’m glad but surprised. They’re having active conversations with their customers. Now, will they truly hear them?

I wish I’d been born in my 8 year-old Godson’s generation (no official title given yet) because by the time he’s college, he may not have to carry anything more than some sort of laptop and Kindle combination.

Apr2

10 Social Networking Trends

Posted at 4:07 PM • View Comments

Aki Spicer, from Fallon, has a wonderful slideshow about the 10 Social Networking Trends. Here are the 10 topics it covers:

1 Social graphs
2 Social shopping
3 Portability
4 Lifestreaming
5 Crowdsourcing
6 Continuous partial attention
7 Privacy protection
8 Open social
9 Virtuality
10 Measurement 2.0

The best part is his insight into the virtual worlds that will be demanded by today’s  youth.  And if you get nothing else from it, his best point was that the good and bad of Social Networking is that no one has figured anything out yet!

Mar23

Nike SPARQ – My Brand is Better

Posted at 7:17 PM • View Comments

I recently made a post about Nike understanding what athletes are about. The Cinderella commercial I referenced was about doing whatever, whenever to get where you want to go. The newest commercial is about their Nike SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, Quickness) training program. To most athletes, SPARQ is nothing new. It is a training program used to condition athletes for their particular sport. I’ve seen this training program administered by people such as Velocity from early high school through the professional level. Nike has rebranded this program SPARQ and is showing it the public. Yes, the commercials are very cool. The one most will remember is the long version with Saul Williams singing “List of Demands” in the background.

Nike’s brand is just better. If you’re serious about training, then you will head over to their website. The site doesn’t just show off professional athletes’ ratings. It lists individuals you’ve never heard of playing high school football, soccer, baseball, etc…male and female…can find their training results online comparing it to others around the country. If you played high school anything, think about how valuable that knowledge would’ve been then. The top competitors always assume someone else is trying to work harder than them at any moment, so they push. This site can give you even more “juice” to perform better. To get on this list, look at Nike’s scheduled list of events. All you have to do is find the scheduled events, show up and they will test you. Nike offers training videos to prepare or train on your own. Of course, you can even buy SPARQ branded equipment; but, the real value for Nike is in everything but the merchandise. They’ve created a massive amount of conversation from 90 seconds of commercials and a top-notch user interface

Many would call this viral marketing, but as my friend, Darren Herman, has said, “They are creating a conversation with the consumers.” This is what it takes today to be successful in business. The brand doesn’t control the consumers and the consumers don’t control the brands. If either of these is too off-tilt, something will give. Brand communication today is about emerging media. A main component of all emerging media is ongoing conversation.

“My better is better than your better. Thank you very much for coming.”

My Better is Better Than Your Better

My Better is Better Than Your Better

Mar11

Jordan Clock Tower Commercial – Become Legendary

Posted at 10:22 PM • View Comments

I was a huge Michael Jordan fan when I was young. I used to try, notice the italics, to imitate him as a kid. I watched the training videos, read the Bios and scraped together what I could on the young Internet. Jordan and Nike have always put together wonderful commercials. They have been consistent in understanding the amateur athlete and showing that they understand via their various branding initiatives. Phil Knight started making running shoes on the back of a pickup truck, and then he gave universities (see Oregon) free stuff if they used it in public and somehow he managed to maintain that image with the largest sports clothier in the world.

Commercials like this give me chills…because whether you’re playing now, have played or are going to play…we all compete. Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets make an appearance. Think the NBA loves this guy? Amazing fundamentally, off-the-radar in a star-studded NBA West, in a Cinderella town…potential to be Legendary. Recognize some of the others…Boise State and Appalachian State playing late.

Feb21

Facebook and the CIA Coming to Get Ya!

Posted at 3:08 PM • View Comments

I found this video via Marketing Headhunter. It’s a look at how Facebook and the CIA are connected trying to mine all of our personal data. Yeah, it’s over the top; but it’s still fun and interesting to see…only about 3 minutes so check it out.

Feb18

Format Wars…errrr Battles

Posted at 1:14 PM • View Comments

Beta vs. VHS…Laser Disc vs. DVD…HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray…

Winners: Sony, Blu-ray Content Providers, Us (Consumers)

Losers: Toshiba, Apple Microsoft, Anyone Else Trying to Win the Living Room

These are some expensive battles that take place. Sony is always a high stakes player. I keep wondering when they’re going to learn their lesson; but after all their risk taking, it seems like they will finally win a battle. Even when they first introduced the Sony Vaio laptop computer line, they only allowed for Sony memory card to be accepted. They’re always trying to control mediums. It’s a risky game they play because they put all of their resources into the development of a standard, and they will have to endure years of loss because the only people buying Blu-ray anything are early adopters or people that don’t know any better. Combining both is a very small section of the market.

Last week, Netflix and Best Buy said they will go predominantly Blu-ray. Last month, Time Warner said it will make Blu-ray exclusive. Today, Toshiba has said to cede its place in the battle.

My initial thoughts are that Sony will be having a very good Christmas 2008. Sony has not only won a huge format battle, but they have taken a huge step in locking up the War of the Living Room. Apple is one loser in this situation. They have been largely successful with their iPod/iTunes creations, but they aren’t making much headway with Apple TV…for a variety of reasons. Aside from Toshiba, Microsoft is the biggest loser in this war. PS3 has been lagging behind XBOX 360, but sales are expected to either match or surpass those of the XBOX 360 this year. Nintendo Wii has been the most popular and biggest surprise, but the target market is different. The majority of their customers are not the coveted 18-34 year-old male but everyone else. That’s just fine with Nintendo, and they’ve done a fabulous job of targeting “everyone else.” A little unscientific proof…I’m friends with a 22-year old male and about a week before Christmas everyone in his sports club received the highly coveted Nintendo Wii as their prize for a tournament win (around 150 units!). The majority of the men tried to sell/auction them, so they could use the cash to buy an XBOX 360 or Sony PS3.

Before today, the main factor for the projected increase in sales was the price drop on PS3 and that more movie titles have opened up for the PS3. The XBOX 360 has an add-on HD-DVD player, and the PS3 is built with a Blu-ray player. Sony has just taken a huge leap in the War of the Living Room, and this will now be an even larger determining factor in the lead they take over Microsoft. The 18-34 year old market can go out to buy a PS3 for its video game capabilities and Blu-ray technology. This one system can now immediately quench the needs of the typical 18-34 year-old male. It offers a high-end gaming system, Blu-ray player and will finally allow users to buy Blu-ray discs with confidence enabling them to maximize the use of the LCD TVs they invested in last year. Savvy parents will also see the value in the system as well. They can buy a PS3 to meet their child’s video game and Disney Blu-ray needs.

I’m anxious to see Sony’s movement in 2008.

Jun28

Predictions: iPhone

Posted at 3:41 PM • View Comments

Anyone that knows me is aware that I’m a huge Apple fan. The first computer
my dad put me on was an Apple II back in the day. I lost touch with the
company until my freshman year of college when I worked on a Mac network.
It was around the time that Apple released the first iMacs and brightly colored
iBooks. Steve Jobs has been great at turning Apple around and making it a
player once more. Enough has been written about that over the past 10
years. Under his leadership, not only has Apple been great at reinventing
itself, but it has learned from their mistakes…unlike Sony. For
instance, the iPod. They made it available to Mac and Windows users
whereas the Apple of old would have made it Mac only. Recently, they have
made iTunes Plus which will let users share music without restriction.

I’ve been waiting for awhile to write about the iPhone, so I figured I’d
wait till the hype was at its peak and then scribble. Well, tomorrow is
the day. And as I sit here in the

Atlanta
airport waiting to hit NYC, I’m seeing about every 3rd person with an iPod and
every 2nd person with a cell phone/Bluetooth ear piece attached to their
heads. Apple has finally put a true convergence of these two
together…the Motorola ROKR didn’t count. The screen is the latest
technology to hit the consumer markets and it’s reported to be remarkably easy
to use (check out WSJ’s Walter Mossberg for the latest preview). The idea
of the ‘true’ Internet and not a dumbed-down version of it and is supposed to
be fantastic. You’ve seen the commercials, so you know what you’re
looking forward to seeing. My two favorite things to follow are business
and sports. Within the professional realm of both, I’ve learned to detach
emotion from both (unfortunate reality of pro sports). I have an
old G4 Powerbook, an iMac, 2-iPods and am a shareholder (bought it at $35…YEAH!).
Needless to say, I’m emotionally involved with Apple, but my parents always
taught me tough love.

I’m a strong believer in waiting past the first generation (1G) of anything
before purchasing. I waited until the 3G iPod before I bought one, 2G
iMac, the 3G of my current car, etc. The Blackberry Pearl was the most
recent major 1G purchase I’ve made in a long time. There are several
reasons I always follow this rule such as money, bugs, etc. However, as I
type there are lines wrapped around at&t and Apple stores nationwide with
people in the cult. Thank God for these people. I will never be the
one standing outside for tickets, toys, standing outside the movies for the
next Harry Potter or whatever; but those the people that help create the market
and drive new technology. Apple is limiting to 2 per customer. I’m
excited that I will happen to be in NYC tomorrow to see all of this
unfold. My friend Darren Herman said that people have lined up 4-days in
advance in

Manhattan

!

Having said that, here are my predictions for the iPhone:

SHORT TERM…From a functionality
perspective, I think most people’s expectations will probably be exceeded and
surprised. People see the ease of a new product on TV and usually think
about the burgers at their favorite restaurant that never quite looks like the
picture.

The gadget geeks will be more than satisfied
with their product, but I don’t think Apple will hit the corporate customers as
hard they are expecting and that includes the usual trendy small business
owners. Unfortunately, Microsoft Outlook still rules the day as a
personal organizer and there is no option to sync with this program like there
are with Blackberry and Treo. Any webmails such as Gmail and Yahoo won’t
be a problem, but most companies of any size don’t use this.

A major surprise I’ve had is Apple’s
partnerships with at&t, and the reason is I’ve not been impressed with much
at&t has done from a customer service or innovation perspective; whereas,
for the most part, I’ve had the exact opposite experience with Apple.
Their Genius Bars in their stores are just that…genius. Their open
discussion forums online and phone tech support is just wonderful. They
have become a leading poster child for the ‘customer experience.’
Everything at&t and Cingular in this realm was (and still is) absolutely
terrible. Regardless of Apple’s intentions, will customers be able to
differentiate the two when they start having problems? My 18-year old
sister can go into an at&t store right now and ask a question about a phone
and most likely get someone her age that doesn’t know and/or doesn’t
care….she can go into an Apple store and get someone of any age to help with
any product with passion.

$500? They did this with the 1G iPod which
kept me from it. $60…the data plan and only 450 minutes…if it ran on the
3G network maybe Skype would be a great option here. Sony is having
a rough time with their PS3 and in close danger of losing many loyal
users. There are many factors but one of them is the high price
tag. Sony has had the same problem with their PSP and have come down to
the level of the Nintendo DS. Will Apple duplicate? Likely not, the
market will drive their price down just like the hundreds of MP3 players did
for the iPod.

WiFi support is lacking as a
whole and the phone will run on an older EDGE technology. It’s hard for
me to imagine taking full advantage of the iPhone capabilities on the EDGE
network…I know because my Pearl
runs on it. I’m almost wondering if it’s a better idea to pay $29.99 a
month for T-Mobile’s Hotspot program rather than at&t’s $60 data
plan. To me, there are more Starbucks/Borders/Barnes and Nobles etc. with
Hotspots (see article on T-Mobile’s Tripe Threat) than there are random WiFi
networks.

LONG TERM…I’m curious to see what this does for the cannibalization
of Apple’s iPod. I’m sure they have it in the plan, since they have 80%
market share; but I’m anxious to see it unfold.

Since the addition of iTunes plus now allows users the share
music freely and other companies such as RIM begin to push the envelope of
smart phones, will Apple lose their dominant position on the music
industry. There are already touch screens out there much more advanced
than the one being released tomorrow.

Does Apple have a plan to become the Google of the hardware world?
Basically buying companies and putting them on a shelf to keep them from
competing.

I haven’t heard many speak about it, but this will be the first form of iPod
with Bluetooth. So, yes people will be sharing music, but think about the
opening for advertisers and user-generated media. I’m excited about this
because we could begin to see some pretty funky stuff.

BOTTOM LINE: I’m excited about the release and anxious to hear
about the new experiences. I have faith in Apple but not at&t, so I
think whatever goes wrong will be taken care of; and I’m pretty sure I’ll
become a 2G/3G user.

Aug15

Curvy (Sexy) Women

Posted at 8:38 PM • View Comments

I love this. I don’t expect it to put an end to the self-image problems of women (genetics are involved too), but I hope it catches on because it’ll help.  I’m glad to see another major company stepping up to the plate.  This is the most real thing aimed towards the female demo that I’ve seen in awhile.  I meet many women in the ad industry on a daily basis…few own the size 0 figure that is portrayed so frequently.  Good job Dove, Nike and whoever else is catching on.