Client: Ariel, Procter & Gamble ME.
Agency: Satchi & Satchi, Dubai, UAE.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
IT vs Marketing
Information Technology is from Mars, Marketing is from Venus
Sept 2007.There's often tension between marketers and their IT counterparts. Each side tends to think the other doesn't understand what they do, or what they need to accomplish their goals. It's a relationship crisis worthy of Dr. Phil's attention, and one you might deal with on a regular basis.
But there's hope. Blogger Sam Decker says the CMO and CIO—or whoever heads up the respective departments—can implement four key principles to create a culture of effectiveness:
1) Agreement and accountability
2) Face-to-face work with no "over the fence" mentality
3) Open communications and sharing of plans and results
4) Investment by the CIO, CMO, and their employees to build relationships
The big payoff:
> Marketers learn that IT is interested in how its solutions impact the business and customer.
> IT professionals develop a better understanding of requirements and become more
invested in their work.
"IT thinks in terms of architecture and how things are done," writes Decker. "[IT] needs to fully understand the spirit, intent and detailed requirements of what needs to be done in order to avoid missteps."
The Point: Your IT staff wants to help your marketing efforts. It's up to you to make their input as productive as possible.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
PR - A storytelling
PR Persuasion: It's All About the Story—and PositioningSeptember 2007.
Public relations is a profession, craft, or job category—take your pick—based on applying factual information and opinion to persuade people toward a particular perspective.
Whether you're attempting to position a company or product as a category leader, gain permission from a community to make changes, or push a law through the legislature, PR needs to tell interesting yet believable stories that make the target audience consider a new perspective or see the sponsor in a new light.
If your stories aren't understandable, interesting, provocative, or supportable (read accurate and believable), then your publicity effort probably hasn't got wheels.
It's all about the story!
It's pretty amazing that this basic idea is missed by so many business managers, marketers, and promoters. The essence of storytelling is newness or newsworthiness. Look at the following hints for potential news value:
- Timeliness: did the event occur very recently?
- Effect: how many people were, or are, affected—or will be?
- Revelation: is there significant new information, previously unknown?
- Proximity: was the event nearby geographically?
- Oddity: was the event highly unusual?
- Entertainment: does it make for a fun story?
- Celebrity: was anyone famous involved?
Marketing gurus Jack Trout and Al Ries have long explained the need for differentiation and it's never truer than when you begin a PR campaign.
In spite of the immense overuse of the word "positioning," few truly understand what is involved in achieving perceptual separation in the minds of the market. Read any of their books, such as Positioning, The Battle for Your Mind, Trout on Strategy, or The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR, or many others, so you can incorporate clear, simple thinking and strategic direction into your campaign planning.
Discovering, understanding, enunciating, and demonstrating a clear and simple difference in language is essential to the success of both the public relations campaign and the business or political venture. A memorable slogan for this is "Distinct or Extinct."
The first thing anyone managing a PR effort needs to ask is "What's new?":
- What are we doing or what can we say that's both important to our audience and unlike what competing entities are saying?
- How can we effectively separate what we're saying or doing from the communications noise affecting the people we want to connect with?
- What kind of an interesting story (interesting to our audience, that is) can we tell that will make them pay attention and help us to gain share of mind?
- Do we need to be contrarian or outrageous?
- Can we discover some key truths that others haven't expressed?
Most of the time, answers are lying around and are quite obvious: What strongly held beliefs about related issues and trends do the organization's managers hold? Are they being expressed? Can you "put a face on" the organization by giving voice to these beliefs? Those are all handles for a PR pro to grab when looking for stories that can give the campaign some legs.
Most often the story that's interesting or that will garner attention in the commercial sector isn't about the product or service you're selling. More likely, it's about how people are using your products or the competition's and the positive effect it's having on their lives.
The story may also be about what's not available, what people need that isn't yet provided or one your company will perhaps be introducing months from now. New concepts can be the basis for great storytelling.
Persuading managers to express their opinions and become the voice of their organization or company can be difficult. However, teasing ideas out of those who should be speaking for the company can also be a fun part of public relations work. Once they've done it a few times, survived, and seen their name in print, they'll be more willing to be public with their ideas.
Listening and reading what tends to be, these days, in PowerPoint presentations (does anyone still write in complete sentences?), can often uncover relevant and effective story ideas. Whether you're practicing public relations within a company or as agency counsel, the time spent listening to management and clients or reviewing their written output can uncover many story ideas or angles.
Reading related industry news is another key way of discovering appropriate story ideas. All PR pros need to invest time staying abreast of what's going on in the industries or market sectors in which they're working. Reading provides an added way of seeing potential stories you can tell or to which you can hitch your story. It also familiarizes you with what key journalists are covering. Knowing that is essential as well.
Armed with a solid list of story ideas that are connected to the essential difference you want people to perceive about your organization... will help make all the aspects of a PR campaign roll forward with greater vitality and impact. First, get the strategic story down, and the PR program's tactics will flow naturally from of it.
(I would like to thank Ford Kanzler for his invaluable contribution. Ford Kanzler is a 30-year technology PR pro practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area who helps his clients create unique stories and tell them well. He can be reached at ford@prsavvy.com.)
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FAQ 4
Question:
What are the costs to a brand extension?
Answer:
There are a number of instances in which a brand extension has hurt the image of the brand concept. This is particularly true if the brand extension involves some kind of disaster of negative publicity. When Audi had a problem with sudden acceleration in one of its models, all models with the Audi name were hurt (although the Quattro—an Audi car with a different name—was not.A core brand concept can also be diluted if it is extended to too many different product categories. What does Samsung stand for if it is linked to such disparate products as life insurance, automobiles, microwave ovens and the like? Also, a successful parent brand does not always guarantee a successful brand extension. Bic is a great brand in the context of pens and disposable razors, but perfume? Well, that’s another matter altogether.
What are the costs to a brand extension?
Answer:
There are a number of instances in which a brand extension has hurt the image of the brand concept. This is particularly true if the brand extension involves some kind of disaster of negative publicity. When Audi had a problem with sudden acceleration in one of its models, all models with the Audi name were hurt (although the Quattro—an Audi car with a different name—was not.A core brand concept can also be diluted if it is extended to too many different product categories. What does Samsung stand for if it is linked to such disparate products as life insurance, automobiles, microwave ovens and the like? Also, a successful parent brand does not always guarantee a successful brand extension. Bic is a great brand in the context of pens and disposable razors, but perfume? Well, that’s another matter altogether.
FAQ 3
Question:
What dangers and advantages are brought about by branding in a global marketplace?
Answer:
The advantages of branding in a global marketplace are essentially the same as the advantages of branding in general. But the risks of global branding (where the positioning, advertising, and brand personality, name, etc. are the same in various countries) primarily lie in the areas of customer acceptance and organizational structures and processes to support the global brand.As to the first, if a common brand name is used throughout the world, it may not mean much to people in different cultures or it may even alienate people in different cultures. So companies have to take extraordinary care to make sure the brand name is chosen correctly. Advertising needs to be throught through as well since a common ad will typically not work in several countries. These are simply the cultural issues that must be fully explored before launching a global brand.But as important (and this is a point we typically bring up in case discussions in business school) is that various country managers may oppose having a common brand name. The organizational processes may actually work against a common brand name. So, companies that want to do global branding typically have significant issues that must be resolved around incentives, structures and company processes
What dangers and advantages are brought about by branding in a global marketplace?
Answer:
The advantages of branding in a global marketplace are essentially the same as the advantages of branding in general. But the risks of global branding (where the positioning, advertising, and brand personality, name, etc. are the same in various countries) primarily lie in the areas of customer acceptance and organizational structures and processes to support the global brand.As to the first, if a common brand name is used throughout the world, it may not mean much to people in different cultures or it may even alienate people in different cultures. So companies have to take extraordinary care to make sure the brand name is chosen correctly. Advertising needs to be throught through as well since a common ad will typically not work in several countries. These are simply the cultural issues that must be fully explored before launching a global brand.But as important (and this is a point we typically bring up in case discussions in business school) is that various country managers may oppose having a common brand name. The organizational processes may actually work against a common brand name. So, companies that want to do global branding typically have significant issues that must be resolved around incentives, structures and company processes
FAQ 2
Question:
How do I know my company's brand platform is a good one?
Answer:
A good brand platform has three characteristics. First, it is clear. That requires a balance between abstract ideas and specific ones. Second, it requires consistency of theme and exposure. That is, once it is determined what the platform is, every communication must be consistent with that platform. Finally, a good brand platform is usually creative, cuts through the clutter and touches a nerve. This last point is the job of a good advertising company. Everything else is marketing's responsibility.
How do I know my company's brand platform is a good one?
Answer:
A good brand platform has three characteristics. First, it is clear. That requires a balance between abstract ideas and specific ones. Second, it requires consistency of theme and exposure. That is, once it is determined what the platform is, every communication must be consistent with that platform. Finally, a good brand platform is usually creative, cuts through the clutter and touches a nerve. This last point is the job of a good advertising company. Everything else is marketing's responsibility.
FAQ - 1
Question:
What is a brand platform?
Answer:
A brand platform, or corporate image, is the set of associations that customers make with your company. Some of these associations may be quite obvious and strong, like the brand Volvo is associated with safety. In other cases, the associations can be weak; BMW, for instance, may be associated with safety but only in a very weak manner. The possible associations that a brand may want to have actually comes from many sources. For example, it may come from the benefits the customers in a target market may care the most about. But it can also come from various descriptors or the self-image of the target audience. It can also come from a company’s history or core competency.
What is a brand platform?
Answer:
A brand platform, or corporate image, is the set of associations that customers make with your company. Some of these associations may be quite obvious and strong, like the brand Volvo is associated with safety. In other cases, the associations can be weak; BMW, for instance, may be associated with safety but only in a very weak manner. The possible associations that a brand may want to have actually comes from many sources. For example, it may come from the benefits the customers in a target market may care the most about. But it can also come from various descriptors or the self-image of the target audience. It can also come from a company’s history or core competency.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Marketing to Women
Marketing to Women—We've Come a Long Way Baby... (Maybe)
August 29, 2007
In 1978, a Virginia Slims print ad led with a sepia-toned image of a 19th century woman hanging laundry outdoors—and the caption, "Back then, every man let his wife out of the house at least one day a week." Juxtaposed was a color photo of a sassy young lady in a daringly modern evening gown proclaiming the brand's signature line, "You've come a long way, baby!"
That line caught on as the slogan for a new generation of women and launched a slew of "new attitude" advertising from marketers trying to capture consumer dollars.
That line caught on as the slogan for a new generation of women and launched a slew of "new attitude" advertising from marketers trying to capture consumer dollars.
The huge Boomer buying segment was coming into its own spending power. Boomer women, radicalized by their college educations and the activist sentiments of the 1960s, were energized by a defiant sense of independence and entitlement. And marketers sought to support and empower them by reflecting their new self-image in the campaigns of the day.
Model Shelley Hack strutted long-legged across "Charlie" perfume ads before she leapt across the screen as one of the original Charlie's Angels. Not to be outdone, Enjoli perfume's glamour girl sang, "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan; and never, never, never let you forget you're a man."
Model Shelley Hack strutted long-legged across "Charlie" perfume ads before she leapt across the screen as one of the original Charlie's Angels. Not to be outdone, Enjoli perfume's glamour girl sang, "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan; and never, never, never let you forget you're a man."
It was the era of the super-woman—perfect at the office, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom.
Nowadays, when well-meaning clients want to create campaigns designed to "empower women," I have to tell them "That's so 20 years ago."
It's too late. Today's woman is already empowered. She brings home the lion's share of the bacon in 55% of US households. For one thing, she is the sole breadwinner in the 27% of US households headed by single women. In dual-income households, 30% of working wives out-earn their husbands. And even in households where she earns less than he does, her spending power is greater because, as Chief Purchasing Officer for the family, she spends not only her own paycheck but most of his as well!
Nowadays, when well-meaning clients want to create campaigns designed to "empower women," I have to tell them "That's so 20 years ago."
It's too late. Today's woman is already empowered. She brings home the lion's share of the bacon in 55% of US households. For one thing, she is the sole breadwinner in the 27% of US households headed by single women. In dual-income households, 30% of working wives out-earn their husbands. And even in households where she earns less than he does, her spending power is greater because, as Chief Purchasing Officer for the family, she spends not only her own paycheck but most of his as well!
So that's one thing that has changed—women's self-image. These days, anyone purporting to empower women is more likely to confuse or alienate them. Savvy companies like Dove, Ponds, and Nike know that women are "empowered," and those companies have shown us how powerful the images and stories of real women are.
What's next on the Marketing to Women horizon? PrimeTime Women—that silver segment between 50 and 70 years old. The same Baby Boomers who once wore T-shirts that said "Never trust anyone over 30" are now wearing somewhat-larger T-shirts proclaiming "50 is the new 30!"
Not only are they in the prime of their lives (every study I've seen reports that people in their fifties and sixties say those are the happiest decades of their lives), they are also the prime marketing target for almost every category of product, service, or sociopolitical movement.
What's next on the Marketing to Women horizon? PrimeTime Women—that silver segment between 50 and 70 years old. The same Baby Boomers who once wore T-shirts that said "Never trust anyone over 30" are now wearing somewhat-larger T-shirts proclaiming "50 is the new 30!"
Not only are they in the prime of their lives (every study I've seen reports that people in their fifties and sixties say those are the happiest decades of their lives), they are also the prime marketing target for almost every category of product, service, or sociopolitical movement.
I'm not exaggerating when I say they are poised to rule the world for the next 20 years.
First, this already-vast sector represents virtually the sole source of demographic growth for at least the next 10 years.
First, this already-vast sector represents virtually the sole source of demographic growth for at least the next 10 years.
Between 2006 and 2016, the entire population of the United States will grow by 23 million. In the same period, it's the over-50 population that will grow by just over 22 million. As the Boomers step over the threshold of "the big 5-0," they not only swell the ranks of PrimeTime but also leave a deep hole in the "junior" population, if I may call them that.
Second, they have almost all the money. People 50 and older control fully 79% of the financial assets in this country.
Second, they have almost all the money. People 50 and older control fully 79% of the financial assets in this country.
And third, as any population gets older, the women become increasingly influential, not only through sheer survival, due to their longer life-spans, but also because the biological jiu-jitsu of male/female midlife hormonal shifts render women more assertive and men more accommodating.
Marketing to PrimeTime Women is like winning the marketing trifecta. They are the largest segment, with the most money, and with ever-increasing influence.
Leading-edge Boomers are turning 60, and they represent the center of the marketing universe for the next two decades. And Boomer women are a different breed. Compared with previous generations, they have been wage earners and have had a far-greater-than-equal share in household consumer decision-making. As confident breadwinners and "chief purchasing officers" both in the home and in the workplace, they enter their prime years with an unprecedented degree of market clout.
Leading-edge Boomers are turning 60, and they represent the center of the marketing universe for the next two decades. And Boomer women are a different breed. Compared with previous generations, they have been wage earners and have had a far-greater-than-equal share in household consumer decision-making. As confident breadwinners and "chief purchasing officers" both in the home and in the workplace, they enter their prime years with an unprecedented degree of market clout.
But marketers see PrimeTime Women only as "middle-aged ladies"—assuming they see them at all. As I was researching my latest book on this topic, I was hard-pressed to find examples of companies marketing to PrimeTime Women at all, let alone marketing to them well.
A recent AARP print ad shows a lovely, PrimeTime Woman with long, flowing silver hair, bare-shouldered in a crimson gown at the opera, with the caption, "To most marketers, consumers die the minute they turn 50."
A recent AARP print ad shows a lovely, PrimeTime Woman with long, flowing silver hair, bare-shouldered in a crimson gown at the opera, with the caption, "To most marketers, consumers die the minute they turn 50."
When will we see today's new woman, in today's new advertising?
We've come a long way, baby... Or have we?
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(My Profound appreciation to Marti Barletta, founder and CEO of consulting think-tank The TrendSight Group (www.trendsight.com) and the author of PrimeTime Women: How to Win the Hearts, Minds, and Business of Boomer Big Spenders (Jan. 2007) and Marketing to Women: How to Understand, Reach and Increase Your Share of the World's Largest Market Segment (Dec. 2002). Reach her at marti.barletta@trendsight.com.
Revitalize
September 18, 2007.
Leading consumer-products companies are investing to revitalize their products and their brand packaging sooner than ever, and with more frequency.
Recognizing the need to contemporize packaging and gain or regain higher visibility on increasingly crowded retail shelves is important. But engaging in complete rebranding and repackaging with too much frequency can also raise a red flag.
Detecting that sales are beginning to table, or even slump, is generally symptomatic of a consumer-brand disconnect. Will rebranding and repackaging fix the problem? Will launching a new advertising campaign? Conversely, will cutting some of the advertising spend?
Or, will these exercises just put a bandage on a deeper sore that's beginning to fester? If that is the case, then rebranding, repackaging, and new ad campaigns will only result in fruitless exercises and wasted investments.
Yet, companies engage in this practice every day. It's far less painful to assess lagging sales in a superficial manner than it is to dig deeper into company practices, customer-service issues, and the actual product mix being offered—not to mention how customers are experiencing the brand and whether that brand is delivering on its promises.
Author and teacher Douglas Rushkoff puts it so well in his book, Get Back in the Box:
"American companies are obsessed with window dressing, because they're reluctant, no, afraid to look at whatever it is they really do and evaluate it from the inside out. When things are down, CEOs look to consultants and marketers to rethink, re-brand or repackage whatever it is they are selling, when they should be getting back on the factory floor, into the stores, or out to the research labs where their product is actually made, sold, or conceived."
If companies truly want to reconnect with the consumer, maybe they ought to be turning their attention inward. Consumer product companies that really want to dig for the truth ought to seek answers to these questions:
Leading consumer-products companies are investing to revitalize their products and their brand packaging sooner than ever, and with more frequency.
Recognizing the need to contemporize packaging and gain or regain higher visibility on increasingly crowded retail shelves is important. But engaging in complete rebranding and repackaging with too much frequency can also raise a red flag.
Detecting that sales are beginning to table, or even slump, is generally symptomatic of a consumer-brand disconnect. Will rebranding and repackaging fix the problem? Will launching a new advertising campaign? Conversely, will cutting some of the advertising spend?
Or, will these exercises just put a bandage on a deeper sore that's beginning to fester? If that is the case, then rebranding, repackaging, and new ad campaigns will only result in fruitless exercises and wasted investments.
Yet, companies engage in this practice every day. It's far less painful to assess lagging sales in a superficial manner than it is to dig deeper into company practices, customer-service issues, and the actual product mix being offered—not to mention how customers are experiencing the brand and whether that brand is delivering on its promises.
Author and teacher Douglas Rushkoff puts it so well in his book, Get Back in the Box:
"American companies are obsessed with window dressing, because they're reluctant, no, afraid to look at whatever it is they really do and evaluate it from the inside out. When things are down, CEOs look to consultants and marketers to rethink, re-brand or repackage whatever it is they are selling, when they should be getting back on the factory floor, into the stores, or out to the research labs where their product is actually made, sold, or conceived."
If companies truly want to reconnect with the consumer, maybe they ought to be turning their attention inward. Consumer product companies that really want to dig for the truth ought to seek answers to these questions:
- Which of our branded products form the core of our company—in the eyes of the consumer?
- Which of our branded products miss the mark—in the eyes of the consumer?
- Have we innovated, altered, or "improved" these products to respond to competitors' products or new ideas in the marketplace—to the point that they aren't what the consumer has come to expect and demand from us?
- Have we listened to the consumer and responded to their needs?
- Has our customer-service interaction been impeccable, or has it fallen below consumer expectations for some time now? If that latter, where are the problems and what do we need to do to fix them?
- Do our products deliver on our core brand promise? Do we remember what that promise was when we launched this brand and it was performing strongly in the marketplace?
- What kinds of experiences are consumers having with our products? Our core brand? Our company? Are they positive overall, are they mixed—and are aspects of these experiences negative?
- Do our core brand values correlate with the consumer perception of that brand—or is there disconnect between the two? Remember what Tom Peters famously said: "Perception is reality."
Maybe, just maybe, it's time to get back to basics. In the corporate scramble to bring ever more products to market, to innovate faster and faster, to jump on the latest social-marketing craze, to launch a new advertising campaign, and finally, to rebrand, revitalize and repackage sooner and sooner, maybe we're all missing the point.
As uncomfortable as doing so can be, consumer product companies need to reassess their internal operations and processes, to see the reality of "what is" in the full light of day.
Getting consumer feedback is a vital aspect of conducting an internal audit. Spending time, capital, and human resources on this exercise, if done thoroughly, is never fruitless. Never a waste of money. It's the best bang for your marketing buck.
In fact, the results may surprise some executives and lead them back to reinstituting those products, those policies, and those brand values that made them successful in the first place.
- with contributions from: Prof.Ted Mininni
Ted Mininni is president of Design Force, Inc. (http://www.designforceinc.com/), a metro New York consultancy. Ted is also a regular contributor to the MarketingProfs blog
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