The advertising must work!

The Creative Brief in this week’s reading I found quite interesting. How do you prescribe an outline for creativity and still allow creativity? I would imagine this is a fine line to walk with advertising professionals. Be creative, show us what you have…but by the way there must be a strategy followed and a distinct message that gets conveyed. It would be interesting to research what creative strategies are used or followed for some of the Super Bowl commercials and the Geico car insurance commercials. I find these most unique!

Then there are the ever obscure and highly unlikely Orbit commercials. http://www.splendad.com/ads/show/859-Orbit-Lemon-Lime-Office-Dirty-Mouth

I wonder how effective, these truly are? Obviously there is some level of success as it’s noteworthy for me to write about!

Businesses use vehicles as billboards

I read an interesting article in the Saturday, September 26 edition of the Democrat and Chronicle. The article caught my attention over the increasing popularity of local business owners turning their cars and vans into eye catching mobile advertising. Local businesses such as: Pontillo's Pizzeria, Wegmans, and Edible Arrangements are using a vinyl "decal wrap" consisting of detailed graphics, and attention-grabbing photos to enhance their advertising message.

The cost of the mobile advertising ranges from $2,400 to $3,500 and businesses owners have found that mobile advertising is cheaper than renting a traditional billboard. Business owner's commented that more customers are aware of the services they offer and noticed the automobile driving around Rochester.

With the cost of advertising on TV, radio, newspaper, and billboards on the rise, the mobile advertising wrap on the automobile seems to be an economical means of advertising. The mobile advertising wrap is a solution for signage. Many local towns example have strict zoning codes for signage and permits are required for banners. My wife, a local chiropractor in Rochester, has expressed an interest in this way of advertising. Her truck is parked outside her office on a daily basis and she figures if she was to park her truck in front of her office might increase the number of new patients to her office. I like the concept of mobile advertising, my wife and I plan to complete additional research for this trendy style of advertising.

A rebel against traditional branding: Amazon.com

There is a great article in this week's Business Week titled, "At Amazon, Marketing is For Dummies".

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_39/b4148053513145.htm

It is amazing that Amazon has reached their level of success and broad distribution channels without traditional marketing and branding. Their ease of use and reputation has ranked them to #43 on Global Brand rankings. They have invested in technology and distribution centers which has delivered both perceived and real quality!

Amazon even took an innovative approach to launching an advertising campaign. Instead of hiring an ad agency, they issued a contest to their customers. The customer that created the best commercial, won a $10,000 Amazon.com gift card.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/video-contest/YourAmazonAdContest/ref=gw_cto_yaacsweepstakes?pf_rd_p=490867131&pf_rd_s=left-nav-2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=507846&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0MAT9DQXVVKHK668PQ8Z

I am sure that the overall success of Amazon's "marketing light" approach, will be copied by other companies. Will they achieve the same level of success? Time will tell.

General Motors New 60-Day Return Policy

I recently viewed a television commercial for General Motors new 60-day return policy. I was blown away by the marketing message sent by General Motors to consumers "If you find a better car, then give ours back" campaign. What a bold move on General Motors part trying to boost sales and gain customer satisfaction. I am wondering how General Motors President, Bob Lutz pulled out all the stops with such an aggressive marketing campaign. Especially when automobile/trucks have suffered slumping sales, and General Motors has lost market share to import car manufactures that offered better gas mileage and reliability.

I would like to understand the factors that went into the implementation of this promotion. I understand the move to increase sales and boost product confidence. But what if the promotion fails? I guess General Motors has answered this question for me by streamlining the company after bankruptcy and accepting millions in taxpayer bailout money. If the promotion by General Motors fails taxpayer money is lost and the company would be holding on to many "slightly used" vehicles to sell.

I would like to find out how much "marketing" research was completed by General Motors to offer such a bold promotion OR is this promotion a gamble of precious taxpayer money as a last ditch effort to save the company. Not to mention the cost of prime time promotion budget of TV ads, sporting events, radio, etc. I am anxious to see the results of this promotion and I hope the promotion is a success for the American taxpayer and General Motors.

Bunker Hill Community College will be a trendsetter.

Was it the foresight of a college professor, the consumer/student demand for more classes or simply a sign of the times? All of those mentioned if you ask me. Take a look at the article:
Students burn midnight oil at Boston College: http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/1110/8889740/Students_burn_midnight_oil_at_Boston_college/full/

The demand for midnight classes at this college was evident. It is a matter of time before the anticipated success of this model catches on. Currently, Bunker Hill Community College is the “only school in the nation offering overnight classes.”
I am sure a study of consumer behavior and psychographics and demographic descriptors will determine a more defined market segmentation than identified here. Judging by the hours I keep, I may be the ideal student/consumer for this type of program!

Complete a Marketing Strategy for Chiropractic Office

As a partner in my wife's chiropractic business we recently purchased a machine used for spinal decompression. The value of purchasing this machine adds specialization to the facility as industry leaders for non-surgical options. My wife and I had to develop a marketing strategy to ensure the success of our new spinal treatment option.

We had to develop our business objective specifically for the spinal decompression machine. The objective to set our business ahead of industry standards, produce non-surgical options for patients seeking alternatives to painful surgery.

Our customer target are patients with severe spinal issues including disc bulges and disc herniation. These patients have already had MRI diagnostics and have been previously consulted surgically.

In the Rochester area their are only two competitors that have this type of equipment in their office. We have strategically placed our selves on the west side of Rochester, NY and our competitors reside on the north and east side of Rochester, NY.

Due to the expense of the equipment we identified our core strategy must produce quick results. In order to accomplish our goals the core strategy included television broadcasting, radio, and web-site optimization. In our advertising campaign we established our value proposition two-fold through client testimonials in our radio campaign and a personalized message from my wife the doctor in the TV ads.

Our product positioning is streamlined through the core strategy and value proposition we developed. The marketing mix is the final set of decisions necessary to complete the marketing strategy. We set our price consistent with our competitors in order for the community to have price consistency and gain product knowledge. We researched our media outlet a local broadcast TV and radio media station for their news worth reputation in the Rochester, NY community.

The complete marketing strategy in chapter two of the Marketing Management book aided my wife and I to develop a marketing strategy for our chiropractic business venture.

Why not promote Western New York?

Proud of Western New York and apple country ~

I live in Wayne County (no jokes please :-)), Sodus Point to be exact. Needless to say I do a lot of driving back and forth to Rochester to shop, go to appointments etc. and I frequently drive to the airport. I have been traveling for work the past two weeks and was flying back just for the Labor Day weekend before departing again today. I was scheduled to arrive well after midnight this past Thursday so I decided to book a free night at a brand new Hampton Inn in Webster. I had an early morning appointment in Rochester on Friday and I was just too exhausted to drive all the way home from the airport, sleep for only 4 hours and then getup and drive back for my appointment and subsequent meetings.

So I checked in at 1:25 a.m. and let me tell you, the night clerk needs some training in customer service, especially when addressing their frequent – stay program members. I overlooked it, the hotel just opened a few months ago and I am certain they have some kinks to work through. I spent the night and was able to get a few hours of sleep. If any of you have ever stayed at a Hampton Inn, you know they serve a complimentary breakfast in the morning OR they have snack bags available at the front desk to just grab and go. I usually grab one of these bags. No matter where you stay in the USA, the bags always have the same items in them: a Kellogg’s breakfast bar, a blueberry muffin, an apple, a bottle of water and a box of mints.

Don’t we live in New York Apple country? Doesn’t New York State produce an average of 25 million bushels of apples annually? It ranks #2 in the country! Why in the world did this snack bag contain a Washington State apple? Need I say more. I think this was a poor choice on the part of Hampton Inn local management and a poor decision not to support our local farmers. Hampton Inn should be promoting ‘local’ tourism- places and things of interest. I don’t think they would host a fall apple picking event and pick Washington State apples off the trees. It is clearly ridiculous to spend the amount of fuel necessary to transport an apple from 3000 miles away, when the second largest apple producing county in the nation is located just 5 miles away!

I plan to write them a letter. I will let you know if I receive a reply.

Marketing in the Simplest form

My wife Susan, daughter Kayla and I decided to take the long Labor Day weekend and visit my in law's in the Thousand Islands. My in law's live near the St. Lawrence river in Clayton, NY. My wife jumped behind the wheel of her SUV to allow me to enjoy the scenery over the next two hour drive. As we turned off the highway and started our final stretch of the drive, I noticed signs on the side of the highway for a "bake sale" five miles ahead. I didn't think too much of the sign posted on the side of the highway until we drove another mile down the highway and I saw another sign that read "Fresh bake goods sale today" As we approached town, the signs were more revealing "Fresh baked pies, cookies, pastries, fresh apple cider, and fresh made applesauce" the signs were larger, more colorful, and decorated with bright red, yellow, blue, pink, and green balloons (my daughter loves balloons). I told my wife we should stop and just "look" at the sale and get a balloon for my daughter Kayla. My wife reminded me I have a half-marathon to run next weekend and my diet could not withstand cookies, pies, etc. As our family approached the bake sale stand, an aroma filled with fresh apples and sugar intoxicated each of us. I sampled the freshly made applesauce, apple pie, and oatmeal raisin cookies (my daughter helped me of course). I decided we should bring a apple pie, fresh apple sauce, and a variety of cookies to the in-laws, after all we were helping the church with their bake sale.

My simplest form of marketing example were the signs on the side of the highway that perked my interest from the first sign I read. As we drove closer to the sale, the church volunteers did an AWESOME job with the signage using words like "fresh baked" "fresh made"
my daughter spotted the balloons and needed one badly. When our family approached the food stand I was greeted with a warm friendly welcome and a sample cup of fresh applesauce. The stand was neat and organized with variety of baked goods for sale at modest prices. Once our baked goods selection was finalized, the woman bagged our purchase, shook my hand, and thanked me for our purchase. I learned a lot from this transaction, even a simple church bake sale can teach me about marketing products and delivering exceptional customer service.

I ran an additional five miles today to work off the pieces of apple pie and chocolate chip cookies. The baked goods were worth it!

Ray Nanni

The end brings us back to the beginning again

I seem to look forward to coming up with a witty title more than coming up with the meat of the post. Maybe that's because I rarely know how the post will unfold as I start typing. I can't help but think how excited I am to be at the end of another module, only to be starting a new one soon. Finishing off a big paper means getting ready for the next one, just like cleaning up after a big marketing event means starting final details of the next big event. I wonder how many of us have already planned something big for when we finish this program in January?

And yet you didn't think I was talking at all about IMC. If your message isn't consistent first, how can then end bring you back to the beginning? The glaring mistake by each of our three case studies, was not bringing them back to the beginning, but trying to become something they were not. Something their customers did not see their brand becoming. Trying to revolutionize their home niche, instead of letting the customer ask for it. We see it all the time and don't always notice it, but how often do re constructing our brands really lead to a positive new place. But when customers ask us to change, they are already there waiting for us to get back to the new beginning.

DOUBLE YOU DOLLARS

I recently received an e-newsletter from the Rochester Business Alliance and was intrigued by this month featured article. During the difficult times of recession, many companies are cutting back on their expenditures, starting with their marketing departments. The article states, “in an economy like this, cutting back on marketing is flirting with business suicide.” I could of not said it any better myself and that is why it was easy for me to let my employer know that we need to think low cost, but not with out sacrificing our marketing agenda.

So how can a business get more out of their limited marketing dollars? I wonder if Erox Corporation would have benefited from the five below suggestions!

1. Get back in touch with old customers by making phone calls to set up lunch meetings. Don’t just discuss business but get to know an old friend again.

2. Offer prospective customers a free sample. I recently had to research into printing companies and the one I chose took the initiative to complete a project for free to demonstrate their digital printing capabilities.

3. Focus your advertising. Publish your advertisement in relevant sources to have a larger reach and make a special offer to receive a return in investment.

4. Let your customer help you out. Ask for testimonials and case studies to be used in your sales presentations and advertising.

5. Give extra attention to high-integrity behavior. Be fair and care about your customers’ opinions. Word of Mouth is a free way to advertise.

If you act in the best interest of your customers, you will receive a wealth of respect and profit.

On a side Note: Everyone did a great job last week on their presentations and have a wonderful week off.

Got startegy in your IMC plan?

Congratulations to all the groups during week five for some great IMC presentations! It was interesting to see how we all took different routes to bring out the IMC plans of each organization we covered. One of my initial questions in this class was…does IMC have a template or some organizational format that needs to be followed when building an IMC plan? And I believe the answer was, “no,” but it was stated that there were some key elements that needed to be included, as was reflective of our team case studies.

Our text, Strategic Integrated Marketing communications, defined IMC back in Chapter 1, as: “a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communication disciplines (e.g. general advertising, direct response, sales promotion, and public relations) and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communication impact.”

When I reflect on my initial questions and then look at our individual analysis, it was because of each company’s strategies that the plan elements we decided to cover seemed so different – no two companies will ever have the same strategy. The difference in strategy is the result of the brand's IMC planning process, described in Ch. 11, which looks something like this:

1. Target audience objectives will need to be carefully considered. Because some markets have multiple target groups a brand generally needs more that one level of communication.
2. Decide how purchase decisions are made in the category, and then optimize message development to facilitate that process.
3. Establish positioning.
4. Setting communication objectives.
5. Decide how to deliver the message.

A brand's target audience or consumer will always dictate the startegy needed to reach them because communication with them is the end goal. So, I conclude that strategy seems to be the key element of any IMC plan. Without strategy, you will never have a unique message to offer your target audience and, as a result, your messaging will get lost in all the noise. To prevent losing your message, a well thought-out IMC plan can strategically integrate a brand's message and effectively place it in front of the right consumers at the right time, by the proper means necessary to “affect the four basic communications effects of: category need, brand awareness, brand attitude, and brand purchase,” as stated in Ch. 11.

Looking back on our IMC 5 week journey

As we have learned over this 5 week journey, marketing functions do not (and can not) operate in isolation. This became evident as we presented the case studies for Virtual Vineyards, Erox, and Charles Schwab. In each of the cases it was evident that the company realized that all messages needed to be unified when delivered to their audience. Each company also understood that it was more important to go after a specific target audience, rather than a generic large audience. And I don't think we'll ever forget one of the suggested audiences for Erox Corp.

I saw this article in yesterday's D & C Businesses using social media reinvent marketing. Each day that goes by it becomes more and more evident that if you are not connecting directly with your target audience then you will be left behind as other companies grow. This article provides some local examples from companies who have started utilizing the power of social media.