Gold is the Key!
I try not to ever double up on what I write for one blog on another. However I thought this idea was so creative and fun that I had to double up and share that the Golden Magazine will be hitting newsstands soon!
A new magazine is actually going to launch with a golden touch! Literally!
Kohl magazine will celebrate it’s launch with a cover that actually includes 91 grams of gold and 622 diamonds on the cover.
According to Trendhunter, it is estimated that this one magazine will cost $10,000 to produce!!
Kohl magazine is the UAE’s first and only women’s lifestyle and fashion monthly catering to intelligent and educated Asian women between the ages of 25 - 40, said a recent article at ArabianBusiness.com .
The look and design of the Kohl magazine cover was created by Damas, an exclusive jewelry designer and manufacturer. Not only is the cost of the magazine astronomical but the cover actually took over 86 hours to make!
The magazine will not literally be hitting newsstands but it will be on display at various locations before going up for auction to benefit a charity.
What do you think? Good PR move?
Source: Trendhunter /advertisingatitsbest.today.com (also by Amy)
Amy is a blogger at Talent Zoo’s website: www.beneaththebrand.com. She really enjoys researching creative marketing, public relations and advertising ideas and techniques and is always on the search for cool ads!
Word of Mouth Guarantee
In a move to generate interest for the word of mouth medium, BzzAgent is offering a guarantee that their campaigns will outperform traditional media by 20%. The catch is that an advertiser must spend at least $300,000 on a campaign with BzzAgent using word of mouth and other media. An independent third part vendor will be involved with the measurement to help support the offer.
One of the challenges related to social media and tactics like word of mouth is measurement and what is considered success. It’s difficult to measure conversation and more so to translate that conversation into sales. It seems that BzzAgent is willing to take the challenge to it’s clients and put their money where their mouth is.
Are you confident enough in your business and brand that you’re willing to offer a $300,000 guarantee?
More FROM Starbucks or More FOR Starbucks?
In the slow season, believe it or not there is a slow season, at Starbucks, the company recently announced they will be offering samplings of summer beverages to increase traffic throughout the summer season.
These sampling events have been in progress in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Indianapolis, New York, Philadelphia and Washington for a few weeks and consumers are getting free small iced coffees on specific days with some restrictions. Is this a good marketing strategy or simply a way to boost sales?
Another summer promotion from Starbucks, that has a different twist on it throughout the country, is the offering a cold grande beverage for $2 in the afternoon if you have a Starbucks receipt from that morning.
Are you in a city offering one of these sampling promotions? What do you think? Are these sampling promotions helping to increase sales?
What do you think of the other discount promotions? Would you go back in the afternoon for a second caffeine kick?
Source: AdAge
Amy is a blogger at Talent Zoo’s website: www.beneaththebrand.com. She really enjoys researching creative marketing, public relations and advertising ideas and techniques and is always on the search for cool ads!
SpongeBob and Customer Service
Squidward: Will you let go of that stupid pizza already!!!
SpongeBob Squarepants: No! I can’t. It’s for the customer.
Squidward: Who cares about the pizza??!!!!
SpongeBob: I do!!!
Squidward: SpongeBob, let go of the pizza!!!
SpongeBob: No! It’s for the customer.
In a time when customer service is mediocre at best, I think a simple solution should be to sit your employees down and have them watch the SpongeBob Squarepants episode, “Pizza Delivery.” The message is plain, simple and to the point: Deliver what you promise to your customer and do so with great enthusiasm all while wearing a smile (even if you are tucked away in a cubile and never have interaction with the customer). If you can’t do that, I’ll tell you this: you are probably working for the wrong company. (And that’s not necessarily the company’s fault.) You’re wasting your time and you’re wasting the company’s time. Find a job and/or company that will make you be like SpongeBob in “Pizza Delivery.”
Plus, who wouldn’t want to watch SBSP? Don’t tell me you’d rather watch some boring training video on customer service. Don’t put them through countless customer service sessions and seminars that they’ll probably fall asleep in anyways.
If a component of your brand is customer service, don’t neglect it. Hire employees that are going to be as excited about delivering the brand (and brand experience) to the customer as SpongeBob is about delivering the “first Krabby Patty pizza ever.” SpongeBob never once loses excitment, energy, dedication or most importantly his smile when delivering pizza. He ran out of gas, got lost, had to deliver by foot and face horrible weather conditions yet he never once lost sight of delivering the promise to the customer nor lost his smile. Don’t you want employees that are like that? Don’t you want to be an employee like that? Just sayin’.
Adios,
Michael
PS-It’s okay to be an adult and let your self watch cartoons and be a kid at heart.
Technorati Tags: SpongeBob SquarePants, customer service
Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover…Or Should You?
Over the weekend, I went with some old friends from college to eat at this little “hole in the wall” seafood restaurant in St. Augustine. When I say St. Augustine, I say that loosely because the address may technically be St. Augustine but the restaurant is in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around it for miles. It sits on a portion of the St. John’s River that has extremely black, dark water and alligators. When you first drive up to the place, the parking lot is packed, which is always a good sign for a restaurant, but the building itself looks like a shack. Now, in fairness, “shack” is part of the restaurant’s name, so this may or may not be on purpose. When you walk into the restaurant it is very rustic, and the outside area isn’t anything to speak of either. The food, however, is amazing. This experience made me think of the old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Then it led me to think about how marketing is the direct opposite. Marketing and advertising puts products and services in pretty little packages, which attract buyers. Sometimes when you open the packages there truly are great products and services inside, but sometimes the package is much prettier than what’s inside. That’s what marketing is. It is the process of capturing “lookers.” Lookers of the pretty packages need to do their own research to find out if what is inside is as pretty and worthwhile as the package.
Kristie Lorette is a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant who specializes in the financial services, mortgage, real estate, event planning and non-profit industries. Kristie holds a BS in marketing, BS in multinational business and an MBA. You can learn more about Kristie and her expertise by visiting her website www.studiokwriting.com.
Blogs Improve Productivity
Many companies have created a blog for employees to collaborate and share ideas. In fact, these types of blogs have replaced those “reply all” emails that clog up everyone’s email inbox. The outcome of companies that use blogs - the employees are more productive!
- Easy way to tell a story. Whether the story is a new product update or a change in policy, in 10 minutes (sometimes less and sometimes more) management can have it posted on a blog for all to see.
- Collaboration. Employees can read posts from fellow employees and management, post replies to the posts and on and on.
- White board. Blogs are the replacement of the White Board. Ideas can be posted. Internal communication can take place. Employees can be involved.
- All media options. Text, pictures, documents, presentations, and more can all be posted to a blog. Blogs eliminate the problem of emailing an attachment that nobody can seem to download or sending an email at all because it’s all right there on the blog!
Read this case study about a company who traded in an Intranet system for a blog system, which increased employee participation by 20%, 100s of 1000s of dollars in savings, and created more effective communication among employees.
Kristie Lorette is a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant who specializes in the financial services, mortgage, real estate, event planning and non-profit industries. Kristie holds a BS in marketing, BS in multinational business and an MBA. You can learn more about Kristie and her expertise by visiting her website www.studiokwriting.com.
No Large For You!
The Chicago Tribune recently reported that Chicago-based Intelligentsia Coffee is phasing out its 20-ounce coffee and espresso beverages. Why? According to CEO Doug Zell, larger drinks end up “masking and adulterating the pure, intense flavors we work hard to source, roast and produce.” Nevermind the fact that the 12-ounce size is the best-selling size. To me this is pure marketing genius, by accident, intention or both. Intelligentsia ends up looking…Intelligent. As THE Java Purists, they instantly crown themselves as the coffee to drink for the coffee aficionado. I am sure there may be other reasons for the change. But the for me this is a move worth taking note of for the “increased perceived quality effect.”
Taste the Victory: Coke Zero
Coca Cola is rewarding U.S. residents above the age of 13 year to a free 20-ounce bottle of Coke Zero!Why, might you ask?
The “Taste of Victory” promotion, and soda giveaway, is a celebration of the Coke Zero 400, which is the 18th race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season held in Daytona Beach, Florida, win by Kyle Petty, one of Coke’s 13 sponsored drivers.
To claim your Coke Zero, you need to hurry up and visit the Coca-Cola Zero website by July 13 and follow the instructions to receive a coupon for the free 20-ounce bottle.
In addition to the free soda giveaway, Coke Zero is donating $1 to the Victory Junction Gang Camp charity on behalf of the first 10,000 people who request a free coupon.
Bill Kelly, senior vice president, Coca-Cola Brands, Coca-Cola North America said, “In the end, it was a great race and that’s reason enough to follow through with our offer to give away free Coke Zero and to continue our support of Kyle Petty’s Victory Junction Gang Camp.”
Other Coca-Cola drivers who participated in the “Taste of Victory” promotion included Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray, Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Clint Bowyer and David Ragan.
What do you think of this promotion by Coca-Cola?
Source: Trendhunter
Looking For The Little Idea
You have probably heard about the dancing guy phenomena by now. His name is Matt Harding and he’s a regular fella who is happily dancing his way around the world. Literally. In his latest video on YouTube called, simply, Dancing, he is seen strutting his stuff in 69 different locations around the world, in some pretty amazing places like Tonga and Timbuktu.
Matt, truth be told, is not one of the world’s great dancers. He does this kind of frenetic jig that looks like step aerobics on Red Bull. But his dancing isn’t what makes the videos so appealing. It’s the sheer, fun of dancing uninhibited wherever the hell you feel like.
Matt started making and putting these videos on YouTube in 2004, and in 2005, a marketing company called GoldNFish saw one and thought they would be a fun way to help launch a new sugarless gum called Stride. Stride simply paid for Matt’s travels and filmed him along the way. A small Stride logo appeared intermittently in the 2006 video and the new video ends with a Stride credit. That’s it. Matt never wears Stride gear and never chews Stride gum.
So where’s the USP and the Key Benefit and the 200 Page Analytics and the reams of Consumer Testing Data? It’s not there! But what is there — and is better than all of that stuff — is pure delight. It’s fun to watch the videos and fun to see how the people in them, particularly kids, love joining in.
The latest video, which has been up a month, has already been viewed 5 million times. Millions of people have sought out these quirky, infectiously fun videos and have come away with a smile and a positive brand impression of Stride, which, by the way, is now the fifth-best-selling brand in the sugarless gum category, with $42 million in sales so far for 2008. That’s some pretty big results for such a little idea.
Steven Stark is a writer and creative director but not much of a dancer — sober or otherwise. You can see his work and read some of his other musings here.
A Road Trip Worth Taking
Blogs have become a staple source of reading for many seeking to grasp a quick inside note to what is taking place around the globe. The largest section of people by far spreading a daily word to the masses would be mommy bloggers. What better way to grab potential dollars then by aligning yourself with mommy bloggers and the road trip to be following in 2008?
The Silicon Valley Moms Group Summer Road Trip 2008, places five moms dashing across America to California for the annual BlogHer Conference. What is amazing about this cross country fun on the road? The list of sponsors rocketing five moms to their final destination.
The trip is sponsored by:
- General Motors (Chevy Tahoe Hybrid)
- Silicon Valley Moms Group
- CBS
- Yahoo!
- Weight Watchers
- Zune
- Six Apart Media
Ultimately, a fantastic promotion for the sponsors to get their brand in front of the main decision maker in the family, Mom. And, not just the five moms on the trip, or the few hundred moms that write for the Silicon Valley Moms Group growing network of blogs, but this trip will be covered by media, both television and Internet. The reach these sponsors will have during this week long journey is unbelievable.
You can follow the Silicon Valley Moms Group Summer Road Trip 2008 here.
Technorati Tags: TalentZoo,Beneath the Brand,Dannie McClain,road trip,Silicon Valley Moms Group,Marketing,General Motors,Yahoo!,CBS,Weight Watchers
Dannie McClain is a Category Manager with a New Jersey textiles company. In her spare time she also blogs on a personal blog and can be see at Deep South Moms, a part of the Silicon Valley Moms Group.
It’s All in the Picture
There really is not much else to say. Just take one look at this picture and you can see the picture says it all!
When I look at this ad, I see a company that is telling potential clients, “We will take you out of the trenches.” What person unhappy with their current employer wouldn’t see this ad and believe this is the job locator to go to? I think this recruiting company hits the spot!
Technorati Tags: TalentZoo,Beneath the Brand,Dannie McClain,marketing,branding,advertising,recruiting
Dannie McClain is a Category Manger with a New Jersey textiles company. In her spare time she also blogs on a personal blog and can be see at Simple Home Basics.
Putting in a Real Bid
Next stop: eBay casinos? Well, maybe not. But the company is certainly out there–and now in casinos.
Slot machines at Winds Casino in New Buffalo, MI, have a selection of eBay items as jackpot winnings. The machines include icons for auction categories such as fashion and electronics. They run similar to other slot machines and also dole out some cash, too.
Race Fans Welcome!
I spent the weekend in
Kristie Lorette is a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant who specializes in the financial services, mortgage, real estate, event planning and non-profit industries. Kristie holds a BS in marketing, BS in multinational business and an MBA. You can learn more about Kristie and her expertise by visiting her website www.studiokwriting.com.
Inferior Brands Spiking
Do you know what is so good about having a generic or store brand right now? Well, for one the high price of gasoline. As the price to fuel vehicles continues to climb, consumers are turning to the lower cost version of their favorite products and to dollar or discount stores to purchase everyday necessities.
Stores can capture the action as consumers enter the doors by centrally locating their store brands of hot items before consumers even enter the isles. By clearly focusing on 
the generic or store brand you are giving them a first impression that will stand out when they are ready to make their purchase - same quality product, but at an inexpensive price.
Small discount and dollar stores are going to draw in the customers. Dollar General and Family Dollar have already seen an increase in consumers because their brand specifically builds on the idea that you are spending only a dollar, compared to two or three dollars someplace else.
Going to an old stand by, Wal-Mart’s campaign, "Save Money, Live Better" definitely is bringing in the consumers simply because they can shop in one location for all of their items - home, toiletries, food, and more - purchase store brands, and all of this will come at a cheaper price then the competitor down the street, saving consumers money.
Dannie McClain is a Category Manger with a New Jersey textiles company. In her spare time she also blogs on a personal blog and can be see at Simple Home Basics.
Happiness and Your Business
Here’s a fabulous presentation on happiness as a business model from Tara Hunt of Citizen Agency and HorsePigCow. It’s almost 200 slides but it’s worth your time to flip through and soak up the message and the imagery. If we could all operate this way, amazing things would happen. Think of where we could go if our business model was actually built on happiness.
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Technorati Tags: Beneath the Brand,Jamey Shiels,Tara Hunt,Citizen Agency,HorsePigCow,Business Models
Flip Flop Flower Beds! And More From Havaianas!
Flip flop maker, Havaianas, is creative not only with their footwear design, and other products, but in their advertising too.
The Brazilian brand is known for their use of wildly bold colours and fun, vibrant patterns. Havaianas also makes their presence by sending exclusive flip flops to Oscar nominees, as well as key global opinion leaders.
One of their most recent guerrilla promotions was a giant sculpture, shaped like a Havaianas sandal, with flowers sprouting out.
Think this guerilla campaign is great? What do you think about this other new product they are trying?
The latest product from the company is a limited edition doormat with a pair of exclusive Havaianas. There is literally a pair of the flip flops IN the doormat.
What do you think of the brand? And the product? And of course their marketing?
They immediately grabbed my attention with their innovate and bright products and also with their promotions!
Source: Trendhunter
Are you tough enough?
WK strikes again. This spot for Nike and Tiger Woods was making the rounds a while back and may have appeared on BTB before. I stumbled across it again today and was moved by it. It speaks to dedication, to a life long pursuit of perfection as well as to the role of parents, role models and leaders in our lives.
As a brand, does our reputation stand strong enough that you could put together a spot like this? Have you spent a lifetime practicing, developing and nurturing the relationships with internal teams as well as with customers to create an experience that is so dedicated and focused. If not, are you mentally tough enough to get there?
The World of World of WarCraft
For all you MMORPG players, the new expansion pack is here! For those of you who don’t know what MMORP is, nevermind…
The gang over at American Copywriter are good for interesting content and a solid laugh every now and again. This video on the World of the World of WarCraft is a hysterical spoof on the ever growing online video game by Blizzard. What makes it so funny is that it’s so true. I think when your brand is the butt of jokes and is spoofed by the Onion you have truly arrived!
What’d You Call Me?
I was writing a presentation deck yesterday and I used the C Word. Actually, I used it a lot. Look…I know better…but it has become so automatic to call people Consumers that I just did it.
The funny thing is that when I don’t use the word in a presentation and use people instead, it actually looks like I’m forgetting that this is about advertising. So I try to define what kind of people we’re talking about, based on why they use, or would use, the product. They may be true believers, fun fanatics, or truth seekers. Whatever their reasons are, I view them as people with a need or passion, instead of someone who turned into this consumer creature because they had an eye towards buying something and a buck in their hand.
David Ogilvy was famously quoted as saying “The consumer isn’t a moron, she is your wife!” I love how that quote takes you out of the realm of consumers and puts it squarely back at that person sitting across from you at the breakfast table.
It’s no mystery to me why we use words like consumer; it’s because advertising is more art than science. And while we try to quantify and qualify what we do with data and projections and targets, in the end it all comes down to talking to people. That’s what I try to remember when I write.
Steven Stark is a writer and creative director who tries to be careful what he says. You can see his work and read some of his other musings here.
Can You Dance Like Matt?
The following video is making the rounds. It’s a guy named Matt who has traveled around the world and danced. Danced in 39 countries and filmed it all. According to his web site , “In 2006, Matt took a 6 month trip through 39 countries on all 7 continents. In that time, he danced a great deal.”
The interesting thing is that the trip was sponsored by Stride Gum. Not to promote their brand, not to pimp their gum around the world but to demonstrate the power of an individual connecting in the same way around the world. When was the last time you danced.
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