All artists love Macs. They have to. They’re cool. They’re pretty. They’re innovative. Just like the artist.
As the owner of a marketing agency I feel entitled to say this, “Macs are great because creative folks will actually work on one without complaining. Even if it crashes or causes compatibility issues with other businesses you work with.” It’s a Mac. Everyone else should just give in and buy one (or two if you are really creative). Right? What about an iPod or an iPhone or any other host of products.
Yes, I am being sarcastic. Opinions may vary about Apple’s products, but one thing is for sure, they are/were great marketers. As a result Mac users are so loyal that Apple is often referred to as a cult brand. I will even go so far as to say, if they offered iKoolaid their devoted followers would gladly drink.
They’ve reached the pinnacle of brand marketing. And as a result must feel so secure that they can completely abuse their most loyal customers (the very customers who camped out and shelled out $600 for a phone that most likely requires them to switch phone service). You are walking a fine line when you take advantage of loyalty for your own greed then offer a discount to bring in additional business.
I suppose another strategy is to offer a new iPhone every couple of months and frustrate every person who just purchased what they thought was the latest product. Or, better still you could be so arrogant as to bully the very businesses that have helped generate your success or should I say dominance.
I should stop complaining. It’s a Mac. I love it. I have to. I’m an artist.
********************************************************
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: Never abuse loyalty. Your loyal customers should be your top priority.
Principal 2: The best customer is the one you already have. It costs you far more to get a new customer than to keep an existing one.
Principal 3: A Tyrannical ruler will eventually be overthrown. It starts as rebellion and builds to revolt.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
The Perfect Plan
When I was a boy my mother told me I was special. But I never heard the word “genius” come out of her mouth when referring to me. (OK, that’s not completely true. I did hear it a few times but I am pretty sure it was laced with sarcasm.)
I have never claimed to be a genius, but I do claim to be an expert when it comes to common sense and marketing – which is almost the same thing.
Let’s talk common sense first. How can so many companies spend so much money on such bad plans? Have you ever looked at an ad and thought, “I hope they didn’t pay much for that?” If so, you have common sense.
Now let’s talk marketing. Marketing is about concept, strategy and execution of the plan. Success is dependent on the perfect plan. If that is true, does it matter what your marketing materials look like?
Yes, looks matter.
I may sound like I’m contradicting myself. I’m not. Materials that look good get noticed, but they can get noticed and still not work. They can look good and still have no impact. They can look good and send the wrong message. They can look good and be a total waste of money. So why do I say looks matter? BECAUSE THEY DO! Poorly designed materials can have great content and never work. You need the right combination of image, personality, and communication to be effective. You need the right plan.
There is a difference between generating awareness and generating enthusiasm. Be wary of agencies that sell you on awareness. They may execute a bad plan perfectly. You will create awareness, but it may cost you more in the future to try to change your reputation.
********************************************************
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: Your marketing materials are a direct reflection on the reputation of your company.
Principal 2: There is no benefit to perfect execution of a bad plan.
Principal 3: Your reputation is your greatest asset. Protect it.
I have never claimed to be a genius, but I do claim to be an expert when it comes to common sense and marketing – which is almost the same thing.
Let’s talk common sense first. How can so many companies spend so much money on such bad plans? Have you ever looked at an ad and thought, “I hope they didn’t pay much for that?” If so, you have common sense.
Now let’s talk marketing. Marketing is about concept, strategy and execution of the plan. Success is dependent on the perfect plan. If that is true, does it matter what your marketing materials look like?
Yes, looks matter.
I may sound like I’m contradicting myself. I’m not. Materials that look good get noticed, but they can get noticed and still not work. They can look good and still have no impact. They can look good and send the wrong message. They can look good and be a total waste of money. So why do I say looks matter? BECAUSE THEY DO! Poorly designed materials can have great content and never work. You need the right combination of image, personality, and communication to be effective. You need the right plan.
There is a difference between generating awareness and generating enthusiasm. Be wary of agencies that sell you on awareness. They may execute a bad plan perfectly. You will create awareness, but it may cost you more in the future to try to change your reputation.
********************************************************
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: Your marketing materials are a direct reflection on the reputation of your company.
Principal 2: There is no benefit to perfect execution of a bad plan.
Principal 3: Your reputation is your greatest asset. Protect it.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Politically Correct
I will quote a local talk show host Scott James, “I think my head is about to explode.” Where is common sense today? Let’s talk marketing. Is stereotyping wrong? No!!! There would be no stereotypes if they weren’t accurate. Let me ask you a question. Are hippies Republicans? (Whoops, you just stereotyped.)
It’s time for some marketing tips. Think about the last stand up comedian you heard. Were you offended? Someone was. Humor is subjective. Environment plays into whether or not you think something is funny. Laughter is contagious. Mood makes the difference.
What I just said was very deep. You need to know when and how your audience interacts with your marketing materials or advertising if you want them to be effective. Details matter.
Consider magazine advertising. When are people most likely to read a magazine? At their desk during work hours? (I am about to make another assumption.) Most people read magazines on their leisure time. This information should help determine how you should speak to them or even what should be advertised. Businesses today seem to be questioning whether or not to pull ads from print and focus on the web. Think for just a minute. When are people online? Do they bring their laptops to the bathroom, or the waiting room, or the beach? OK, so print is still viable.
Effective advertising is not the result of the magazine or website. It is a result of the ad. Concepts matter, style matters, strategy matters, and your product matters.
Do you think you or your company keep up with the ad spend of today's giants? Probably not. (If you can, I will still be willing to speak with you.) That means you need laser sharp focus in reaching your audience. You need to speak to the niche.
You need to stereotype to reach the maximum number of people. Someone may be offended. Oh well. They will still probably contact you when the time is right.
********************************************************
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: You must make assumptions to define your audience. (You must stereotype.) If you do, you will communicate more effectively to your target audience.
Principal 2: You cannot control all circumstances or people’s emotions. Play to the majority.
Principal 3: People are more willing to complain than praise. If you hear complaints don’t panic. Your materials actually evoked response. Congratulations. The results will likely overcome the negative feedback you may have to endure.
It’s time for some marketing tips. Think about the last stand up comedian you heard. Were you offended? Someone was. Humor is subjective. Environment plays into whether or not you think something is funny. Laughter is contagious. Mood makes the difference.
What I just said was very deep. You need to know when and how your audience interacts with your marketing materials or advertising if you want them to be effective. Details matter.
Consider magazine advertising. When are people most likely to read a magazine? At their desk during work hours? (I am about to make another assumption.) Most people read magazines on their leisure time. This information should help determine how you should speak to them or even what should be advertised. Businesses today seem to be questioning whether or not to pull ads from print and focus on the web. Think for just a minute. When are people online? Do they bring their laptops to the bathroom, or the waiting room, or the beach? OK, so print is still viable.
Effective advertising is not the result of the magazine or website. It is a result of the ad. Concepts matter, style matters, strategy matters, and your product matters.
Do you think you or your company keep up with the ad spend of today's giants? Probably not. (If you can, I will still be willing to speak with you.) That means you need laser sharp focus in reaching your audience. You need to speak to the niche.
You need to stereotype to reach the maximum number of people. Someone may be offended. Oh well. They will still probably contact you when the time is right.
********************************************************
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: You must make assumptions to define your audience. (You must stereotype.) If you do, you will communicate more effectively to your target audience.
Principal 2: You cannot control all circumstances or people’s emotions. Play to the majority.
Principal 3: People are more willing to complain than praise. If you hear complaints don’t panic. Your materials actually evoked response. Congratulations. The results will likely overcome the negative feedback you may have to endure.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
They Say
There’s a t-shirt quote that says, “No sense in being pessimistic. It wouldn't work anyway!” That’s funny, but it’s also destructive. If you believe it, don’t bother reading any more. I want to speak to people with enough conviction and optimism to get something done.
Have you heard from the group called “They” recently? They say that the economy is good. They say we’re headed for a recession. They say that we have a crisis called Climate Change. They say Global warming doesn’t exist. Who are they? How did this group called “They” get in the heads of so many people?
Let me state two simple truths before we move on.
Truth 1: The only way to get where you are going is to know where you want to go.
Truth 2: Moving in the wrong direction won’t get you there.
If you don’t trust your marketing agency get a new one. Without trust you will withhold the very information they need to help you succeed. Here’s a rule of thumb. Do you trust your agency enough to honestly tell them the budget? If you are looking for bids in the hope that you will save money, then you don’t trust your agency.
Will your agency spend the whole budget? Probably, but you defined it. Our goal is to do the best with what you have. If you have a thousand dollars, we will come up with solutions that fit that budget. You get what you pay for. (I guess that is Truth 3.)
You are not saving money if the marketing efforts don’t get results. Measure the results. If you are making money, consider spending more. That sounds self serving I know, but consider a simple financial investing principle. If you knew would double your money, would you invest $1.00? You would then have $2.00. Fantastic, I’m sure you are tracking with me. What if you invested $100,000.00 (Do the math, even if you are afraid.) The return is the same, but you’ve done much better. You say, “I would invest, if I had the money.” But you will never have the money if you don’t invest. If you have the money and won’t invest in your marketing, you don’t trust your agency. Move on.
I will bet “They” say that what I am telling you is foolish and you shouldn’t throw the money around. Maybe “They” only made $1.00.
********************************************************
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: Marketing should be an investment not an expense. You should get results or you should move on.
Principal 2: You can measure your level of trust by how much information you try to withhold.
Principal 3: To achieve maximum return on investment, you must clearly state your goals.
Have you heard from the group called “They” recently? They say that the economy is good. They say we’re headed for a recession. They say that we have a crisis called Climate Change. They say Global warming doesn’t exist. Who are they? How did this group called “They” get in the heads of so many people?
Let me state two simple truths before we move on.
Truth 1: The only way to get where you are going is to know where you want to go.
Truth 2: Moving in the wrong direction won’t get you there.
If you don’t trust your marketing agency get a new one. Without trust you will withhold the very information they need to help you succeed. Here’s a rule of thumb. Do you trust your agency enough to honestly tell them the budget? If you are looking for bids in the hope that you will save money, then you don’t trust your agency.
Will your agency spend the whole budget? Probably, but you defined it. Our goal is to do the best with what you have. If you have a thousand dollars, we will come up with solutions that fit that budget. You get what you pay for. (I guess that is Truth 3.)
You are not saving money if the marketing efforts don’t get results. Measure the results. If you are making money, consider spending more. That sounds self serving I know, but consider a simple financial investing principle. If you knew would double your money, would you invest $1.00? You would then have $2.00. Fantastic, I’m sure you are tracking with me. What if you invested $100,000.00 (Do the math, even if you are afraid.) The return is the same, but you’ve done much better. You say, “I would invest, if I had the money.” But you will never have the money if you don’t invest. If you have the money and won’t invest in your marketing, you don’t trust your agency. Move on.
I will bet “They” say that what I am telling you is foolish and you shouldn’t throw the money around. Maybe “They” only made $1.00.
********************************************************
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: Marketing should be an investment not an expense. You should get results or you should move on.
Principal 2: You can measure your level of trust by how much information you try to withhold.
Principal 3: To achieve maximum return on investment, you must clearly state your goals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)