Buy More Of Me!

"Shake Well & Buy Often"

Just go ahead and tell me what to do!

Some really well-placed copy: right on the top of the Silk carton. I see it every time I pull the soymilk out of my fridge and I stare at it multiple times a day as I drink right from the carton. I actually love it. I think this means I have to drink more often so I can buy more often.

It’s actually Silk’s packaging that hooked me on soymilk. It compares itself to regular milk and evidences its superiorities. Not to mention it tastes great.

I’m brand loyal to Silk and maybe it’s because of the copy. Are they in my head? Quite possibly, because every time I go to the market and go to buy soymilk, I think “Silk” and I buy two at a time. Great job, Silk.

Oh and yes, I drink organic soymilk…it’s delicious and low in sugar!

Throw the Rules Out the Window!

Everyone in business school is taught the “P’s” of marketing.  Notice I didn’t put a number to them.  I was originally taught there are four: product, price, promotion, and place, however the marketing world has evolved to a point where not only is four an insufficient number of “P’s”, P is insufficient as the sole letter.  The extended marketing mix also includes people, process, and physical evidence.  Then there are the other P’s that don’t belong to a coined learning tool: positioning, packaging, publicity, purple cow (for the Seth Godin fans)…the list goes on.  Then there are the C’s of marketing: consumer, competition, cost, communication, convenience, channel, the D’s: distribution, design, differentiation, etc.

All this alphabet soup is certainly important, but the ability to reach consumers has become increasingly difficult, and marketers can’t rely on the set rules of educational word play anymore.  I wouldn’t even suggest an expanded set of rules applies anymore, because some of the best programs out there have broken the rules altogether.

Marketers can no longer use traditional methods to reach consumers.  Todd Buffum from Modernista! explains in his blog post, Digiraditional: Lessons from the Making Digital Work Conference, that marketers need to create “experiences that encourage participation, transparency, value, play, and conversation (social)”.  I agree with Buffum’s ideology that modern programs can’t exclude the old methods, but cannot rely on them either.  There needs to be a balance and it needs to include both traditional media and modern methods.

Buffum uses the term, “digiraditional” coined by Michael Tabtabai.  “What does it mean?” asks Buffum.  I agree with him that the literal meaning is irrelevant, but its figurative meaning is super important.  “No longer will brands be able to shout at consumers.”  I love it!  It’s so true.  The old rules are a great place to start and build a strong foundation, however the combination with modern methods and digital media are what will take any brand to the next level.

Brands need to create an environment for consumers that’s clear with nothing hidden about it, provides rich, useful, and appreciated information, has personality, encourages open dialogue, and actually listens.  There are many ways to do this, some accomplished and some yet to be discovered, but the successful brands that will thrive into the next generation will be the ones that encompass some combination of these features and the successful marketers that carry these brands will be the discoverers and the innovators.

Gone Too Far?

Sex sells and we all know that.

The minds behind Axe products know this all too well. In a recent commercial to market their extensive line of hair-care products Axe may have pushed the envelope a little too far. Having only heard about the "risque" new commercial I immediately went to my computer and Youtubed the video. The commercial below is the one I am referring to, personally I enjoyed it but it raised this question: Has Axe gone too far? Will angry parents call the Axe Corporation and complain about the obscene commercial their kids are being exposed to? You be the judge.

The marketers at Axe understand that they are marketing their products to men, men who are looking to make themselves more attractive towards women. With sexual innuendo's such as these its easy to see that the Axe Corporation is doing a fantastic job at reaching their target market.

How To Make Friends On An Airplane

Why do people keep on creating the most ridiculous products and why do consumers continue to encourage this nonsense by purchasing them?  And CNN doesn’t help by running segments showcasing them.

The extra large Snazzy Napper is a “sleep and privacy shield” for your eyes that doubles as a blanket.  OK, so it’s a Snuggie with an eye patch.  The original version however is just an eye patch with a bib.  News flash, though, this product already exists and has been around for over 1,800 years...it's called a burqa.  You gotta see this.




I love the part at the beginning where the woman puts on her Snazzy Napper while sitting in between two men who don’t even flinch.  Not only would the woman freak me out if I was sitting there, I’d get up and move.

The creators of the Snazzy Napper have at least tried to wedge it into the world of social media.  They have a Facebook page, a YouTube page and they’ve taken a Dominos approach to their product, asking consumers to photograph others they see wearing the Snazzy Napper and post it to YouTube or Facebook for a whopping prize of $100 and a free Snazzy Napper.  I don’t know if they’re hoping consumers will actually look for someone wearing one or buy the damn thing just to photograph it in hopes of winning the measly hundred bucks.  So far they have two Facebook posts and zero on YouTube.

I’m pretty sure we just found this year’s Christmas re-gift.

A Truly Grateful Marketing Approach

 “Marketing Lessons From the Grateful Dead” is a new book out by Deadheads (and Marketers) David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan.

The cover is flipping awesome!

It focuses on the business and marketing strategies used by the Grateful Dead and how you can apply them to your situation.   The book evidences multiple Dead strategies and shows that the band was more than just Jerry and his face-melting jams, but an intelligent business mind and very much ahead of the curve.

They didn’t follow any of the music industry rules and created a following unlike any other.  A following that drove cross-country to see a live show, traded tapes of live shows, and that traded these tapes for tickets.

I can’t wait to buy the book.

A "Predator" Approach to Marketing

==SPOILER ALERT!==
There has been a lot of hype over Robert Rodriguezs' new movie "Predators." As there should be considering that every time a channel is changed one can't help but come across a trailer for it. This movie is the third installment to the Predator franchise, we all remember the first with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the second with Danny Glover, and now this one starring Adrian Brody (along side others). But the hype isn't due to its guerrilla marketing scheme, no, in fact its over the trailer itself!

The trailer for this film is not in any way, shape, or form offensive. That is unless you watch the Red Band trailer, in which you will see unedited content from the movie. The hype here is over a scene in the trailer that subsequently didn't make it into the film. The scene I am referring to is the one where Adrian Brody's character is being lit up by multiple Predator lasers. However, in the film Brody is only being lit by one laser. As the movie progressed fans became distraught and anxious in anticipation for the "laser scene," which never came might I add.

In an interview with Rodriguez himself the question was brought up pertaining to the "missing scene." Rodriguez informed the press that this scene was in fact only, and I quote, "Shot solely for the trailer." Rodriguez then went on to explain that he often shoots scenes for the trailers of his films with every intention of not using them in the movie. In this case the use of Brody being hit with multiple lasers was to grasp the attention of the audience, make them wonder how the hell he is going to get out of that situation, and yes of course to sell tickets.

Our hats are off to you Rodriguez. You, much like the Predators, have found a way to draw attention to your film (which would be your prey). And just when you got them where you wanted, you pounced on the opportunity to charge them $10.50 at the door. This obviously worked for Rodriguez considering his filmed snagged 3rd place for total sales in its opening weekend. Once again Kudos Rodriguez, Kudos to you!

The King Brand

No, not the BK Lounge, and you can hate him all you want - I’m not the biggest fan either - but last night LeBron definitely strengthened his brand. No doubt, much of America is completely disgusted in his gross display of narcissism, however it’s hard ignore the amount of publicity his special received.

LeBron’s program generated a 7.3 Nielson Rating and peaked at 9.3 beating every other English language program. That means that at one point during the show, over 10.5 million households were watching…nauseating. The ESPN website received over 300K unique viewers!

Guaranteed, LeBron will sell more jerseys, more tickets, and increase the games' ratings. He joined up with Wade and basically created an expectation for a 2011 Miami Heat Championship. Anything less will be considered failure. Everyone's going to be watching them now.

Hate on him all you want for taking the easy way out and being an attention whore, but recognize his ability to draw the crowd and sell the merch.

Infomercials

I'm amazed at what people think they can sell through informercials and while I greatly miss Billy Mays' gargling raspy voice, I've never been a fan of them. From Ron's famous "Set It and Forget It", to Chia Obama, to the Shamwow guy who hired a hooker that bit off his tongue, I usually ignore infomercials when they come on the TV...until I saw these. These both made me laugh my ass off. I thought they were SNL commercials.


The Better Marriage Blanket - Watch more Funny Videos

$120 for a f*cking blanket!?! Seriously now. This is going to kill the Dutch Oven! They're going to ruin a historic and widely celebrated bedtime prank. I would say rather than letting a space blanket soak up all the fun, it's much more hilarious to light one's flatulence on fire or to smother someone in it against their will while yelling, "Dutch Oven!"


I'll let the next one speak for itself.




As hilarious and ridiculous as these infomercials may be, the outrageousness has created buzz on both of the products. Maybe a convenient holiday rerelease is on the way as a gift-giving idea. Anyways, I'm sure the creators are laughing all the way to the bank...

What are your favorite infomercials?

Grocery Store Employees: Average Joes or Marketing Pros

As I sat there in the Produce back-room at Geisslers Supermarket I couldn't help but think to myself, am I just stocking fruit or am I advertising it for all customers to see? It was at that time I realized that in fact I am doing both. After wondering around the store for several minutes (on the clock mind you) I came to the conclusion that all employees of the grocery business are marketers of some sort. They are innovators, advertisers, personal sellers and most of them don't even know it.

These employees are on the forefront of the business. Each containing vast amounts of knowledge of their respected department. An employee working produce can tell you the difference between and English Cuke and a Regular Cuke. Someone in Bakery can tell you whether using large white eggs are better (or worse) than using large brown eggs to bake a cake. Meat department employees will make that backyard BBQ even more enjoyable. They do this by offering advice on certain cuts of meat and cooking techniques. Even the cashiers at the check-out line will tell you those $2.99 paper towels you are about to buy are no different than the $0.99 ones on sale.

Knowledge, however, isn't the only tools these people poses. Creativity is also in their "bag of tricks." It is the employees who erect those massive displays (some may consider to be works of art) in the middle of the store. These displays that grab your attention, make you gasp in awe, and inform you that these displayed canned goods are in fact on sale! Creativity can be seen especially in the produce section. The arrangement of fruits and vegetables allows for colors to grasp your attention and pull you in for a closer look.

All in all these folks are the quintessential grinding gears that "turnover" a profit for the company. They not only think like consumers but at the same time act in the best interest of them. Like all marketing people know, a happy customer means a profitable business.

You Got Iced...

Bros Icing Bros

Frat game or witty marketing ploy?

I was "Iced" for the first time this weekend. I haven't had a Smirnoff Ice since high school when we drank 40's of them (yes unfortunately they exist). Clearly we had no idea what we were doing yet. This time I could barely keep it down. I forgot how disgusting this shit is. Between the pungent syrupy flavor and the bubbly acid on my throat, chugging it was awful.

The prank supposedly originated on college campuses down south and Smirnoff has denied taking credit for creating this drinking game phenomenon. It's just hard to just believe this at face value. This has a creative marketing signature written all over it.

To play, one must surprise a friend with a Smirnoff Ice by concealing it and tricking him/her who must then take a knee and chug the refreshing bottled beverage (usually given warm). The phenomenon has spread throughout the country through various social groups and a complete range of socioeconomic classes. I've seen a ridiculous amount of Facebook pics of someone getting "Iced" in the last month. People have been iced at their offices! What?

This is definitely going to help the brand and build sales in the short term. Smirnoff has basically received a free celebrity endorsement by showing up in a YouTube video of Coolio getting Iced and a website called iceashton.com tries to get a pic icing Ashton Kutcher. But will the game kill the brand after the fad dies?

Does Smirnoff Ice hold the same fate as Bartles and James?

The Greatest Salesman in the WORLD!!!

Some of the best personal sellers aren't selling pharmaceuticals, tech, or life insurance. They're not selling fancy cars or making billions of dollars. The best personal sellers are just trying to get rid of the random crap laying around in the cellar. Who wants a 15 year old mangy teddy bear missing one eye that may have possibly been a dog toy? You might say "No one!" but these yard salespeople seem to be able to get rid of everything. Through price negotiations and great story-telling, these seemingly worthless items fly off the fold up tables on the front lawn like hot cakes.