Check Your Headlines Twice.

When you are designing something or writing copy, you might want to have someone else take a peek. After you have stared at something for so long you tend to miss the obvious.

Seems like a typical governmental move.

And what exactly did you think you were going to find?

Good luck with that one. They may be searching for a while.

Stop drinking poison will you!

Let me know if you have seen this guy.

Some ironic justice?

Uhhh. OK.

Sounds about right coming from the Government.

Must be a GREAT camouflage job.

Now THAT was unexpected.

Come on, seriously. Is this some kind of bad joke?

Thanks again for stopping by. Have a great week everyone.

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part XXI

When Ted goes hunting NOW, he has all kinds of political pressure and government regulation to deal with. And running into Sears to pick up a shotgun and a box of shells isn't quite that simple anymore.

I have a collection of antique shotgun shell boxes that I have picked up over the years. Some of my favorites are from Montgomery Wards, Holiday Gas Stations, Sears and other similar retail establishments. These were the days when you could order a gun from a department store catalog and they would actually ship it to you. These were also the days where a shotgun was considered a "sporting good." Notice the logo, it says Sears Sports Center. Now, regulation has overtaken the firearm industry. Waiting periods, permits and licenses abound. But what came first, the chicken or the egg.

In the glory days of Ted Williams, there was little gun crime. People were responsible, and parents taught their children to hunt, shoot and respect firearms. This was also the time of the least amount of regulation. Today, it's cool to turn your hand gun to the side and quip about "bustin' a cap" or something. Today we have the most gun crime and the MOST regulation. Is there a correlation?

Here's the question. Is the regulation a function of society's breakdown or is gun crime due to the regulation of law abiding citizens acquiring guns? Perhaps gun crime is due to the natural development of a violent society and the regulations were too little, too late. What are your thoughts?

 

Chrysler's Bailout Backlash

Here's a PR move that caused some unanticipated backlash. Chrysler, the recipient of 4 BILLION DOLLARS in bailout/bridge loans, decided to thank America. A nice gesture to say the least. However, it doesn't seem that Americans were very open to the thanks.

As it turns out, Chrysler placed full page "Thank You America" ads in newspapers across the country including USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. This is where the tomato and other produce flinging begins. It seems that the forced investors tax paying Americans didn't like the expense or the delivery of the campaign.

Over at the Chrysler blog, readers are not holding anything back. Comments like, Mr. Nardelli "Your resignation and the resignations of senior executives who have mismanaged the business would have been much more appropriate." and "Mr Nardelli, Fire your PR and advertising teams and execs immediately" seem to be the norm from the readers.

To put this into perspective, a full color, full page ad in the Wall Street Journal is about $250,000. A figure that is much more than the average taxpayer's salary.

A big BOOOO goes out to Chrysler for not having a "Thank You" press conference or publishing heartfelt letters to the various media sources and blogs. Hey Chrysler, just repay your loan as quickly as you can so we can get on with our recession will ya.

My thoughts: Thumbs up for the effort. Thumbs down for the execution.

Your thoughts?

 

S'more Really Old Ads

I just love the ads of yesterday. Features that were promoted as the latest and greatest are, by today's standards, obsolete or insignificant. Trends in society that are seen as distasteful today were prominent subject matter. Old ads featured technology that was "the wave of the future." In reality, most of the "tech" never really caught on. Although it is still happening today, (HD-DVD) it's nice to look back and see where we came from in the world of advertising.

I received the ads below in an email from my brother. I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due. As you can see, most of them are marked with www.strangecosmos.com, so I can only assume that they come from that site.


How nice, a carton of Chesterfields for Christmas. The perfect gift. Today, if you received a carton of smokes for Christmas, they probably wouldn't be wrapped, they would probably be Marlboro Lights and you probably had them stashed by the wheel chocks of your double wide.



Lard = Happy. I know this because I eat a can a week. Is this why they were so healthy back then?



I really had to study this ad to understand what was going on. It wasn't long after this before someone invented the pull top. You know the one where you pulled it completely off, threw it in the can and choked on it as you were slamming the beer?



Yep, tapeworms. Normally they are a bad thing to get. However, when they are "sanitized," THEN they are OK. This ad brings back memories. My mom actually had an original copy of this ad framed and hanging above the vanity in the bathroom. I almost had it memorized as a kid. I had completely forgotten about it until I saw it in the email. "Jar Packed - Easy to swallow - No danger - No ill effects."



I really debated including this one because of the nature of the ad, but I think it is a prime example of how the "AD Men" marketed products to women. I mean are you kidding me? Lysol as a personal hygiene product. I would be curious to find out what magazine this was featured in. I have seen many similar ads featuring a wide variety of products and advice come from magazines like The Ladies Home Journal.

So there you have it. Another look back at some ads featuring out-of-date values, ideology, technology and gender rolls.

Thanks for stopping by The Big Bald Blog. Don't miss a thing. subscribe to The Big Bald Blog today.

 

A Look Back At Some REALLY Old Ads.

For some time now I have been doing a series called "The Advertising of Yesterday." Most of the ads I feature come from a stash of magazines I have from the 60's and 70's. Most of the time it is quite interesting how our views, values and attitudes have changed over the last 3 or 4 decades.

The other day a friend emailed me about a post on Purple Slinky that featured some REALLY old ads that take us further back and REALLY demonstrate the evolution our society has undergone.

The author, Paula Mitchell Bentley has put together an excellent collection of ads that would never see the light of day in today's world.


Ahhh yes, the wonderful benefits of beer for infants.



Make sure you don't abuse your kids, light up first. I think that the use of babies to promote cigarettes was discontinued just a couple of years ago.



And to think that we are trying to stop our kids from watching TV. Between Xbox and TV, the parks seem kind of empty nowadays.



This one is my favorite. "How Soon is too soon? Not soon enough." It will help you kids "fit in" and gain acceptance during those pre-teen and teen years. They even go so far as to guarantee lifetime happiness if you start drinking cola.



I wonder when the word "chubby" made the transition to a derogatory term. It's now "plus-sized" thank you very much.



Yes, the all new safety razor. So safe that you can even let your infants play with it. Give this little tyke 2 or 3 more years and he will be ready for the stitching line at the textile factory down the street.



Out of all the ads featured, this is the most disturbing. It says that the revolvers are not toys, the shoot straight and they kill. At the same time they are promoting how safe they are and claiming that accidental discharge is impossible. I just happen to know quite a bit about these Iver Johnson revolvers. There weren't that safe. "Papa says it won't hurt us." Wow. Granted this and many other firearms ads, featured here, here and here, came way before the gun was designated as evil, but you have to admit this ad is reckless and irresponsible. A big Booooo and a thumbs down for this ad.

There are a couple of others included in her post but I think you are getting the picture. The point is that as we look back over time and see how advertising has evolved, we can paint a picture of how society has changed as well. Remember the Playtex "Cross Your Heart" bra commercials? Remember how they never use to show the bra on a woman? Instead they demonstrated it's features, advantages and benefits on a mannequin.



Today's television is a completely different story. All bets are off and so are the clothes. In 30 years, I wonder how we will look back at the ads of today?

Thanks again for stopping by The Big Bald Blog! Have a great weekend everyone.

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part XX

Finding new angles to promote your product or service is essential if you want to keep your marketing fresh.



In 1965, Jeep decided to cross the gender barrier, well, sort of. In order to sell a 4x4 vehicle to a demographic that wasn't the typical SUV buyer in 1965, they decided to appeal to the emotional side of men. After all you want your wife and children to be safe, right?

The hook is the headline and the imagery. However, if you get into the real meat of the ad, you will see all the technical jargon that men feed on. The best part is the real message, "...have more fun this winter..."

Well played Jeep.

 

Rupert Murdoch - Media Needs To Reinvent Up In Here

CNET NEWS reports that Mr. Murdoch is accusing the media of digging themselves into a hole.

The media mogul accuses some traditional media leadership of "complacency and condescension." It is his opinion that newspapers are NOT going to become obsolete. Instead it's the "...editors, reporters, and proprietors who are forgetting a newspaper's most precious asset: the bond with its readers..."

With more and more content available online, I am having a hard time agreeing with his assessment but he does make some interesting arguments.

"It used to be that a handful of editors could decide what was news-and what was not. They acted as sort of demigods. If they ran a story, it became news. If they ignored an event, it never happened. Today editors are losing this power. The Internet, for example, provides access to thousands of new sources that cover things an editor might ignore. And if you aren't satisfied with that, you can start up your own blog and cover and comment on the news yourself. Journalists like to think of themselves as watchdogs, but they haven't always responded well when the public calls them to account."

He reinforced this by citing the famous Dan Rather incident when bloggers assassinated the story of Bush's National Guard service in 2004.

Rupert refers to "A recent American study reported that many editors and reporters simply do not trust their readers to make good decisions. Let's be clear about what this means. This is a polite way of saying that these editors and reporters think their readers are too stupid to think for themselves."

All that being said, I still think that even if you removed all the "offending people", we will still see declines in circulation and ad revenue. If Murdoch was sitting here in my office, I would tell him he is underestimating the power of online news and the increasing potential return for online advertising.

"Murdoch said newspapers can still count on circulation gains if papers provide readers with news they can trust." He added they will also need to embrace technology advances like RSS feeds and targeted e-mails. The challenge, according to Murdoch, will be to use a newspaper's brand while allowing readers to personalize the news for themselves-and then deliver it in the ways that they want."

RSS feeds, customized home pages, email? Hello? Is this thing on? This is already happening. This is exactly why 8-track tapes the printed form of the newspaper is soon going to be a memory.

 

I DVR Therefore I Am...Not Seeing Any Commercials?

Ever since I got a DVR on my Dish Network system, I'll have to admit that I rarely watch live TV anymore. I record all kinds of shows, sometimes ones that I have never seen before just to see if I'll like them. When I am watching the shows recorded on my DVR, 99.9% of the time I will skip all the commercials.

Does this mean that I am not being impacted by the advertising that companies have so strategically placed? According to Informa Media the US leads the rest of the world in numbers of DVR's and by 2013, there will be more Digital Video Recorders in the US than Asia and Western Europe combined. J.D. Power and Associates says that over 44% of TV viewers now have a DVR. Wow, it feels pretty good to be ahead of the rest of the world on something. I knew being a couch potato was going to pay off sooner or later.

But back to the question. Are people that have DVR's missing out on advertising? Boston College reasearch says NO. As it turns out, brand information that is placed in the center of the screen is retained even with a "95% drop in frames" when a viewer "fast forwards" through the commercial break. “Even in fast-forward, consumers can focus in on a product logo or brand and that fraction of a second can later influence their references,” said Boston College marketing professor S. Adam Brasel. “It’s not like the advertising disappears when you use TiVo.”

I know I sometimes stop and go back if I see something really cute cool, manly or intriguing, but that's me. I try to never apply my personal habits in marketing situations or recommendations. I can be that free radical that everyone always talks about.

This brings me to my next thought. When developing a commercial, don't you think that we must now plan on and execute for the new DVR factor? Since the studies show that viewers are "scanning" the ads rather than skipping the ads, this requires us to reformulate brand placement. Bearing this in mind, here is yet another reason the commercials from the Truth group will fall short in a big way. Continuous and rapid brand messaging will be critical to get the essential short message across to the DVR viewer. Maybe even in a manner that would appear to be subliminal advertising during a fast forward. Remember Fight Club?

This is yet another example of how technology is changing the way we advertise. Do you have a DVR? Do you view the commercials when you watch a recorded show? Do you find yourself irritated when you can't fast forward live TV? These are the questions that the world wants to know. What say you?

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part XIX

The elections are over, I lost, and we're back to business as usual. Since it's Friday it's time for a little Friday fun with the Advertising of Yesterday.



This ad from a 1970 issue of Outdoor Life, features the new plastic coated blades by Gillette.

Kudos to Gillette. In the days before double, triple and even quadruple blades there was the choice of a straight razor or safety razors with the disposable blades. These were the days of deep nicks and styptic powder. I am not sure that the plastic coating really made any difference but it was a valiant attempt on Gillette's part to move some blades. Fortunately we are much better off today. With lubricating strips, tilting head and multiple blades, we are able to get much closer shaves without the war wounds to show for it.

I remember playing with the safety razors as a kid, sans blade of course. I used them as matchbox car "picker uppers" in my imaginary auto salvage yard. Matchbox salvage yards aside, the one thing I remember even more was the little slot in the back of the old school medicine cabinets with a sticker under the slot that said "Used Blades"

What magical beast lived behind the medicine cabinet and why was he so keen on collecting used razor blades? Was there some kind of spatial anomaly or tear in the space-time continuum that sent the blades to some other dimension?

It wasn't until about 4 years ago I discovered the truth. I decided to remodel my bathroom at home and I had one of these old school metal medicine cabinets between the studs. I removed the screws holding the medicine cabinet to the wall and carefully peered behind the ancient structure. You know what I found? Not some cleverly crafted vacuum tube system to the unknown, but a pile of rusty razor blades sitting on the horizontal 2 x 4 support. My fantasy of finding the holy grail had been ruined forever.

What's the point of all this random rambling? I'm not sure. What I do know is that shaving for both men and women is a much more enjoyable venture today. Is it possible that it may have all started with the "miracle plastic coating" by Gillette? I think it may have.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

It's Happening - Just Like I Said I Would

Wednesday, May 16, 2007, I wrote about how people are turning to online sources for their news.

In that article I asked the question, "What do you think is going to happen when a news paper has to make a decision about spending $600,000 to fix a 40 year old press? How far would that same $600,000 go for web development and web marketing?"

We now have an answer. Well, at least we have an answer on a local level. The Waterloo Courier, the nearly 150 year old local newspaper, now owned by Lee Enterprises, has just shut down production at the local facility. The printing in now being outsourced to Color Web Printers, a Cedar Rapids based company. The closing of the production line resulted in 52 people loosing their jobs.

The Courier is promoting this as a good thing, contrary to the impact on the community. But what are you to do when circulation and readership continues to drop? You are forced to raise prices. It's just a matter of time before it all falls apart.

If you are a staunch newsprint advertiser, try pulling your ads for 1 month. Let me know what you find out. Did it impact your business in a negative way? If your target audience is 40 and under, I think that you may be surprised at the results.

So what do you think? Is newspaper dying?

 

You Better Catch The First 9 Seconds

I've seen this anti-smoking commercial from the Truth group a handful of times and I always seem to miss the "truth statement" at the beginning. Which obviously leaves me wondering, "what the heck did I just see."



I think that the commercials are well done and have the best intentions, but they fall short in a big way. If you don't catch the first part of the commercial you have no idea what the point is. Normally you lead with the "mystery" and reveal the message at the end. There are 5 similar spots that all deal with the different harms and "company lies." They are all formatted in a similar manner and it's my opinion that they would be more effective if they were written with the "musical" at the beginning and the message after that.

Subject matter aside, the commercial below is exactly what I am talking about.



Thanks for stopping by The Big Bald Blog. See you on Monday.

 

"What I Found In My Email" Mondays. Vol.2 - Issue 27

How many of you felt persecuted as a kid. Everyone was out to get you, the man was keeping you down and parents just didn't understand.

Well, here's a youngster that shares your sentiments exactly.



AND here's a mom that needs to be applauded. This ad from the DesMoines Register is almost as good as the ad I once saw in a local swap sheet wanting a "flux capacitor" for a 1981 DeLorean. Seriously, it was in there but I never saved it and I am kicking myself.

Welcome to the week Big Bald Bloggers.

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part XVIII

We have all heard the phrase, "You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl." Salem was obviously attempting to work this into their "You can't take the country out of Salem" campaign. As a stand alone concept, this 1970 ad in Outdoor Life falls horribly short.



An A is given for effort though. Here is a 1970 TV commercial from the same campaign.



So what exactly is this campaign all about? This video on TobaccoVideos.com does a better job of explaining what this "country" concept is all about.

"Super king size Salem the extra length cigarette with a taste that's country soft, country fresh" “Salem gently air-softens every puff…” "Take a puff its springtime."

8 to 10 years prior, in the 60's it was all about how Salem "Freshens Your Taste." Notice they didn't say, freshens your breath. You have to admit, the jingle was fairly well done. And did you see the technological breakthrough that Salem offers in their cigarette paper? Yep, your smoke was softened with fresh air through their "special paper."

OK, I get it now. Salem is as fresh as the country air. Well maybe some country. I know around here you sometimes get wafts of pig manure and/or cattle lots. They must be talking about Wisconsin or Minnesota.

My how times have changed.

 

Is Newspaper Dying?

Once again we find ourselves on the topic of newspapers and their decline. A new study from journalist Tyler Marshall and the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism brings forth new information that, well, the industry isn't doing well.

The Findings:

• Most newspapers are cutting staffing
• Large newspapers are being effected by the change more than small, local papers
• 85% of newspapers with a circulation of over 100,00 have cut newsroom staff in the last 3 years
• Newspapers across the board have reduced the amount of pages they print
  
• Over half of "large" newspapers expect to trim additional staff by the end of the year
• Newspaper employee salaries are decreasing
• Newspapers are narrowing their reach with the hopes of becoming niche reads
• 2/3 of papers have cut foreign news
• Over 1/2 of newspapers have cut national news coverage
• More than 1/3 of papers have cut business news.

With circulation and ad revenue continuing to drop, whatever is going to happen to the print makers is going to happen fast. The decline is snowballing and I don't think we can stop it. And if newsprint does wave bye-bye, what will we line the litter box with?

 

"What I Found In My Email" Mondays. Vol.2 - Issue 26

Here is possibly the best classified ad ever.



As it turns out you DO need to be able to read your wife's mind.

Welcome to the week.

 

Internet Ad Spending Report

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) recently released information on Internet ad spending. Internet advertising revenues reached $5.8 billion for the first quarter of 2008. These numbers represent an 18.2 percent increase over the same period in 2007, and represent the second highest quarter ever recorded, after Q4 2007’s $5.9 billion.

“We continue to experience significant growth and vitality in interactive marketing, media and advertising,” said Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the IAB. “We expect growth to continue, as consumers spend more and more time online, and marketers find more – and more innovative – ways to reach them through digital media.”

This is what they were saying in Q1. When we take a look at the 6 month numbers they have fallen off pretty sharply. Compared to the same 6 months of 2007 we are only at about an 8% increase due to a 3.7% decrease (vs. 2007) in Q2.

But where is this money coming from? Is it magically appearing from the government printing presses? No, of course not, this isn't a corporate welfare bailout, it being diverted from other mainstream media outlets.

"Spot TV spending dropped 4.4 percent as reductions in automotive, retail and telecommunications advertising offset gains from political spending. Network TV fell 2.4 percent on weaker prime time results. Newspaper media slipped 7.4 percent and radio media decreased 6.5 percent on further slowdowns in spending from auto, financial, retail and telecom categories." via

Notice the most significant decrease. Yep, newspaper. Many of you know that for some time I have been predicting the death of newsprint as we know it. Trends like this continue to support my theories.

Bottom line? Explore how advertising online can benefit your company. The formula is simple. Plan, plan, execute and track. Soon you will realize that an reallocation of dollars from newsprint and yellow pages has not hurt your business, but helped.

 

300 Million Not So Well Spent?

Earlier this week I wrote about Microsoft Vista and how the big M was dropping 300 Million on an ad campaign featuring funny man Jerry Seinfeld and former CEO Bill Gates.



Evidently Seinfeld received 10 million to appear in these commercials that made a poor attempt at trying to connect with consumers. According to Valleywag the commercials were as well received as Vista was and they are now pulling the plug. An announcement tomorrow will state that they are dropping Seinfeld altogether.

"The awkward reality: The ads only reminded us how out of touch with consumers Microsoft is — and that Bill Gates's company has millions of dollars to waste on hiring a has-been funnyman to keep him company."

10 Million to do 2 commercials that were a flop. Wow. I think if someone handed me 10 million I wouldn't have to worry about money ever again. 10 Million to Mr. Gates is probably like $5 buck to me. Maybe I should give ole Bill a call. Anyone have his number?

Enjoy the weekend!

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part XVII

Remember these?



Before Wikipedia, before the internet and before there were encyclopedias on CD, there was the Encyclopedia Britannica. This ad from 1970 features the multi-volume reference set that was all the rage through the 70's and 80's.

Sales of the encyclopedia hit a peak in the mid 90's and had come to a screeching halt by 1995. By late 1995 over half of the encyclopedia salesmen were out of work The nearly 30 year reference reign had ended sharply. By 1996, the market was flooded with out of work encyclopedia sales veterans looking for employment, many of whom ended up in the insurance industry.

By 2004 There was only one Encyclopedia Britannica salesman left, Scott Lohman. His sales territory was the United States. Since 1973 he had been peddling the reference collection to libraries, families and other institutions of learning. I remember when I was kid and even through high school, all the reports I had to write primarily reference the good ol' encyclopedia.

In early 2006 Lohman was ready to call it quits. But not before he made one final sale. The last Encyclopedia Britannica hard back sale was made to a church in Appalachia "...that believes electricity is the Devil's farts."

It's pretty amazing how something as signifigant as the encyclopedia just faded away without anyone noticing. I wonder what else will be impacted by technology. Newspaper perhaps? What else has gone away and we don't seem to miss it?

Have a great weekend everyone.

 

A Legend Dies

A movie legend has died at the age of 68.

Most of you have heard his voice. Many of you know the phrases like "In a world where..." or "A deadly game of cat and mouse..." but you don't know who he was. The man was commonly known as "The Voice" or "The Movie Trailer Guy." The man who made millions for speaking just a few lines of copy. His Name was Don LaFontaine.



The voice over legend was credited for over 5000 movie trailers and was recently featured in one of GEICO's "... so we hired a professional" television commercials.



One of the most demanded and highest paid voice over talents in the industry, Don lent his pipes to some of the biggest names like Ford, Budweiser, McDonald's,Chevrolet, Pontiac, Coke and much more.

The voice legend was even "...heard on "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider" and used by ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN, TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network. He also was an in-studio announcer for the Academy Awards and the SAG Awards. In fact, based on signed contracts, he might hold the record for the most prolific actor in SAG history."

Don LaFontaine was even presented with the lifetime achievement award in 2005 at the Hollywood Reporter's 34th annual awards.



LaFontaine remained active right up until his death, averaging seven to 10 voiceover sessions a day. Don died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles due to complications from a long term lung related illness.

There is no doubt that Don's death will create a huge void in the voice over industry as well as the movie industry. He will be missed.


Don LaFontaine 1940-2008

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part XVI

It's Friday and it's time for another edition of "The Advertising of Yesterday". I know, I know. I have been slacking this week. Your probably wondering where I have been. No where, I have just been busy. Trying to balance client work and getting my campaign up and running.

No more excuses. On to the good stuff.

This ad for Savage Firearms comes from a 1970 issue of Outdoor Life. I ran across several ads that are similar to this one but most are strictly promoting the rifles and shotguns. This particular ad is part of a contest where you can win trips, campers and guns - Oh my.



Oh how we have changed. Before political correctness, there was Savage. OK, check me if I am wrong. I find it highly unlikely that a "Native American" would be seen in a modern day ad promoting something with a negative name tied to the days long before this ad was conceived - Savage. As I sit here and reflect back, I remember a local restaurant called "Sambos." The restaurant operated with images of what was probably the most offensive commercial cartoon character by today's standards. Little Black Sambo.



"A popular U.S. restaurant chain of the 1960s and 1970s, Sambo's, borrowed characters from the book (including Sambo and the tigers) for promotional purposes... the controversy about the book led to accusations of racism that contributed to the 1,117-restaurant chain's demise in the early 1980s. Images inspired by the book (now considered by some racially insensitive) were common interior decorations in the restaurants."

The world we live in continues to evolve around us. Sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. Advertising that influences us all continues to evolve along with society. Ad that are now common place would be seen as a detestable in the 60's. Conversely, ads like the one above are now seen as inappropriate. Either way, advertising is a big part of our lives. Everyone views it and responds to it, but most are seldom conscious of advertising's effectiveness - that is until we see things like they use to be.

Thanks for stopping by. Oh, and make sure you get entered in the contest. Have a great weekend everyone.

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part XV

When a 4 wheel drive vehicle simply won't do - Drive a tank.



Doesn't Cushman make golf carts? Well evidently in 1970 they were also in the personal tank business. Honestly, I would love to have one of these little guys. That thing can probably go through all kinds of nastiness and come out smelling like a rose on the other side.

A quick search of "Cushman Trackster" will provide more information than you care to know. There are some excellent videos on YouTube featuring units that people have restored. There's even a guy that's selling parts for the Trackster.

If your reading this post on Friday morning, I have already been relaxing in the North woods for over 12 hours. I know your jealous. Have a great weekend everyone!

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part XIII

So you want to go deer hunting?



Well, how about doing it on a motorcycle? The 1965 advertising execs for the Honda corporation thought it was a good idea to try and capture the "hunting" market. Forget about pickups, jeeps and all the other 4 wheel drive vehicles of the day, and get yerself a 90 cc motorcicle. Granted, this was the time before ATV's as we know them were even an idea but seriously, how in the world are you going to transport a 220 (270 in Iowa) pound deer on a motorcycle. Such a disappointing attempt at penetrating a market from a company with one of the top ad campaigns of all time. These ads were the follow up to the, "you meet the nicest people on a Honda" campaign and an attempt to attract the "outdoorsy" crowd.



The "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" campaign instituted by Grey Advertising was wildly successful. In the late 50's and early 60's, the bad biker image was systematically being dismantled by 8 cleverly crafted words. "Mothers who once wouldn't listen to an adolescent child's plea for a motorcycle began to compromise, saying, "I'll buy you one, if it's a Honda."





After the initial airing of the first ads, "...Honda was overwhelmed with requests to start up new dealerships and inundated with offers from other large corporations wanting to tie their own ad campaigns in with Honda. Annual sales of Honda motorcycles jumped from 40,000 units a year to a staggering 200,000 units per year, a 500% sales increase. No wonder that to this day, in colleges and universities around the world, the “Nicest People” campaign is studied as a model for a successful advertising campaign." Source

So there's a little more history for you. I am heading to the local waterpark tomorrow and if people are lucky they may catch a glimps of my glorious belly. Till next week then.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

The Top 10 Ad Icons Of The Last 100 Years

Here is Advertising Age's list of the Top 10 ad icons of the 20th century. These recognizable images have been crowned the most powerful in the marketplace. The criteria with which these were chosen include effectiveness, longevity, recognizability and cultural impact.

1. The Marlboro Man - Marlboro cigarettes
2. Ronald McDonald - McDonald's restaurants
3. The Green Giant - Green Giant vegetables
4. Betty Crocker - Betty Crocker food products
5. The Energizer Bunny - Eveready Energizer batteries
6. The Pillsbury Doughboy - Assorted Pillsbury foods
7. Aunt Jemima - Aunt Jemima pancake mixes and syrup
8. The Michelin Man - Michelin tires
9. Tony the Tiger - Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes
10. Elsie - Borden dairy products - List via AdAge.com
    

It's ironic, the number one icon is the one that has had the most controversy. The 2 prominent actors depicted as the 60's and 70's Marlboro man both died of lung cancer.

Elsie was way before my time and there are a couple that I think have been omitted. What about Smokey the Bear? Sure it wasn't for a consumer product but he was definitely an icon that was, and still is used in advertising. Heck, he's been patrolling the woods since 1944. And what about the Keebler Elves or Mr Peanut? I am sure you can come up with many more. What do you think??

 

The Top 10 Jingles Of The Century

You know them, you love them, and most of you can sing the words to them. They are advertising jingles. A short tune with lyrics that contribute to a brand's awareness and below are the top ten jingles from the last 100 years.

1. You deserve a break today (McDonalds)
2. Be all that you can be (U.S. Army)
3. Pepsi Cola Hits the Spot (Pepsi Cola)
4. M'm, M'm good (Campbell's)
5. See the USA in your Chevrolet (GM)
6. I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener (Oscar Meyer)
7. Double your pleasure, double your fun (Wrigley's Doublemint Gum)
8. Winston tastes good like a cigarette should (Winston)
9. It's the Real Thing (Coca Cola)
10. A little dab'll do ya (Brylcreem)
Courtesy of AdAge.com

I remember 7 out of the 10. I am very surprised that the McDonalds Big Mac jingle didn't make it on the list. You know the one; "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun."

What else is missing?

 

Advertising In Things That Are Printed On Pulp

I am specifically referring to the newspaper and the yellow pages. How much do you spend on advertising in the yellow pages? Are there 2 or 3 yellow page books in your market and are you in all of them? Does the newspaper work for you?

I have published several posts about the death of newspaper and how the industry is in turmoil. Newspapers across the country have been taking hits in circulation and ad revenue for the last 10 years.

I was thinking about how information was disseminated recently, during all the flooding. People were desperately seeking information about weather, water levels, evacuations etc. Those that could, got online to find out the latest information. They didn't wait for the newspaper or turn on the TV. Granted this was a time of crisis and people needed information rapidly. I would propose that this instant need for information is not isolated to times of crisis. After all, we are in the age of instant information and a low deferment of gratification.

If consumers have to wait for information they are going to move on to the next source as fast as they can and we all know how the Internet has, well you know, a bunch of sources (reliability to be determined). For this very reason, companies that charge more for their services and don't have an auto attendant on their phone system will often times get more business. Customers want to talk to people, and they want information now.

But what about the yellow pages? Isn't this fast enough? There is still a following for the good ole' phone directory, but do you need a $3000 per month ad? I say NO. As part of a long term plan, we have been systematically pruning back every one of our client's yellow page ads with zero effect on the amount of calls they receive from the pulpy paperback. The dollars saved from this reduction have been allocated to other forms of advertising and marketing (mainly the web) and have been more successful from an ROI standpoint.

When I need a service, if I absolutely CAN'T find it on the internet, only then do I blow the dust off my 2004 yellow pages. Most of the generation behind me also operates this way. The bottom line? Take a leap of faith and cut your half page yellow page ad to a 1/4 page and track the results. You will be pleasantly surprised. BUT, you have to be disciplined to take the dollars saved and apply them to areas that WILL get you results. The same thing goes with newspaper. Limit your display ads to event or promotion based ads and see what you end up with.

If you get nothing else from this post take this one piece of information. Track your results. When someone buys something from you, ALWAYS ask them how they heard about you. Keep a log and evaluate your most effective means of advertising on an annual basis. Be diligent about this. So many business owners set out to do this but never end up following through. They are missing some valuable information by neglecting this simple little tool.

If you have a story about your reduction in yellow page spending or how you are handling your newsprint ads, let me know about your results.

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part V

Hmmm. Man sized pleasure huh?



Falstaff really hit a home run with this one in August of 1965. An open body of water symbolizing something and a confusing tag line? OK, someone help me out here, anyone have a clue?

Now, if this was a ad for the Beef Producers Association and there was a picture of a 32 oz steak and some baked beans loaded with bacon and in the background there stood a monster truck and a toilet with a 17 inch seat height, I might be able to get the "man sized pleasure" tie-in.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part IV

Today we take a journey back to August 1969. This ad appeared in the "Get-Ready-For-Hunting" special issue of Field and Stream, a magazine read almost entirely by men.



What a great ad! At a time when Tupperware was exclusively targeted at women, some enterprising ad exec started thinking outside the box. He either noticed his friends using Tupperware for purposes other than food storage or he had been nabbing his wife's plastic storage containers for his own. Either way, this is a great ad that crosses gender lines and markets a product, typically directed at woman, in a men's magazine.

The other thing I find interesting is the tag line: "Tupperware. In the yellow pages under housewares." Evidently every Yellowpage market had a Tupperware representative in 1969.

 

The Advertising of Yesterday Part II

Welcome to Friday and the next edition of "The Advertising of Yesterday."

Here we take a trip back to October of 1967 with General Motors and what is now AC Delco.



I have to say, I think this is an effective ad. Whether you are looking at it in 1967 or today, the message of reliability comes across strong. After all, you want a battery you can rely on, especially if you find yourself in a bad part of town. One might argue that the ad headline, "If you drive places where you wouldn't want to walk" means a little more in 2008 than in did in 67.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

The Advertising of Yesterday

I am starting a new series called, "The Advertising of Yesterday." I have in my possession a sizable amount of circa 1964-1972 magazines. Of course, these magazines have a great selection of old ads from the period. Some of the best are the cigarette ads.

I have already featured a few of these smoking ads in previous posts.

Lets roll back the calendar and take a trip to June, 1965.



Some Observations:

• Of course the obvious "Springtime Fresh." Boy, has the image of cigarette smoking changed.
• Why is he carrying a gun? Were they hunting?

Obviously guns and cigarettes weren't evil yet in 65. So there you have it. Tune in every Friday to see the next installment of "The Advertising of Yesterday."

 

Online Ad Spending Is Up - No Kidding?

Is it really any shock to hear that Internet advertising is up again this year?

For the 8th consecutive year, the number of dollars spent on Internet advertising has again gone up. In fact, the amount of money that advertisers spent on Internet related ads was the leading increase with 18.9% more than any other media category increase according to Nielsen. The next closest thing to the Internet was national magazines with only a 7.6% increase.

Newspaper advertising has shown a steady decline year after year and in a post about the impact of the Internet on newspapers I wrote almost a year ago, I asked the question; "will we see the death of a media in our generation?" Again, there was a decline in newsprint ad revenue which equaled over 7.5% which is up from last year's 5% decrease.

The one big surprise for me in 2007 was the increased dollars that are being spent on outdoor advertising. Normally when I hear outdoor I immediately think of traditional billboards. Now there are these fancy new-fangled digital billboards that have the capability of switching out the message very quickly to accommodate sales or whatever may be an immediate and time sensitive call to action. I have noticed that companies are also spending more money on things like vehicle wraps. From city buses to company cars, this too can be considered outdoor advertising.

According to Forrester Research, online spending is expected to hit $204 Billion, this year. Yes I said billion. The 3 big "C's" are going to continue to dominate the online market; clothes, computers and cars. The 3 of those combined will account for over 1/3 of all online sales or $70 billion.

Here's another interesting tid-bit from the recent surveys. Free shipping, a big draw in past is garnering less interest on both the consumer and the retailer levels. With the increase in ad AND consumer spending, we may see free shipping go bye bye for a while. However, I do think that it will surface frequently. After all the .99 cents or 99 dollars on almost all consumer goods has never gone away.

One last fact about demographics and online behavior and then I will leave you to your day.

"The casual shopper goes online to look for the best price, leveraging the transparency of the Internet to save money. However, more affluent customers appreciate the convenience of shopping online and are not necessarily looking for the best deal. Retailers would be wise to recognize there are significant opportunities within both audiences and should market to them accordingly." Via Forrester

Yeah, I still think this Internet thing is a fad. You'll have to pry my CB radio from my cold dead hands.

 

Marketing and Taxes

Q: What does one have to do with the other?
A: As a business, you have to spend the money on both.

Every year April 15th seems to come earlier and earlier and if you are smart about how you handle your withholdings you will get a very small refund or you have to pay in a little bit. Your marketing efforts can be managed in a parallel fashion. If you have the right message, the right delivery method and the right design, you will earn the business back many times your initial investment.

BUT, you have to do it right. More often than not, a business owner knows just about everything about their product or service but they are not a marketing expert. This same type of knowledge/skill-set division is why so many medical billing companies exist today. Medical professionals simply want to practice medicine. They don't want to run a business and are happy to turn those duties over to the experts.

Many times, business owners are persuaded to spend their advertising and marketing budgets on single source vendors. For example, a local radio rep walks into a retail electronics store and convinces the owner or manager that he has the best station in the market to attract customers. The business owner unwittingly spends his monthly budget on the ONE station that the sales rep is selling.

Now, this may or may not be the right move, but in order to truly evaluate the options in the market, you need to have a non-biased marketing consultant that will look at the big picture. A marketing consultant can evaluate the local/regional radio stations, determine which ones will be the best for the businesses demographic and make recommendation on the most effective placement

In a similar fashion, a marketing consultant can look at your entire marketing campaign and make recommendations on how to improve your image, brand awareness and your marketing budget efficiency.

I ran across a great article about marketing and post cards. It talks about "doing it right" and is really applicable to what I am talking about here. Check it out, it's definitely worth the read.

Taxes and marketing are both necessary expenditures if you are a business owner, just make sure you are using your marketing dollars wisely. When you need law advice, you seek a lawyer right? Why wouldn't you seek the help of someone who specializes in marketing? Take a look at hiring a marketing consultant, they know marketing just like you know your business.

 

Where Do You Get Your Printing?

As you may have noticed, over there on the right is another ad. Yes ladies and gentlemen, we have our second sponsor and as part of our agreement, here is the love.

Seriously, I have been in or a part of the printing industry for the better part of 7 or 8 years now and have handled everything from "quick" 2 color printing to custom embossed, die-cut, spot varnished, full color bound masterpieces. I learned a long time ago the one thing that every business owner should do is find a competent partner in the printing trade. A number of years ago I ran across a company called Pioneer Graphics in Waterloo, Iowa. Folks, I need to tell you, if you want a quality printing company, that is both intently focused on quality and customer service, you need to check out Pioneer.

Granted, they are a "sponsor" here on The Big Bald Blog but I am also a customer of theirs. Over the last 2 or 3 years, I have used them for almost 80% of my full color work and believe me, we do a TON of printing for a wide variety of clients.

Now, here's the good stuff. If you click on the ad to the right it will take you to a quote form page on the Pioneer website. At the bottom of the page there is a "promo code" box. In that box, if you enter BIGPAPPA, they are going to give you 500 FREE full color postcards with your order of $500.00 or more. AND as an added bonus, anyone that enters the BIGPAPPA promo code, they are going to be "extra aggressive" on their pricing.

So, if you're looking for mailers, direct mail services, flyers, brochures, catalogs, magazines, business cards or anything else that involves ink on paper, drop a line to my friend Jim Miller over a Pioneer Graphics. You will be glad you did.

 

Marketing With Ink And Paper

Since you are paying for it, when you send out a post card you want to maximize the amount of text on the piece to make it worth your while right?

WRONG!

I have seen this mistake made over and over. Inexperienced marketers commonly make the fatal mistake of cramming tons of text into a tiny post card, hoping to convey as much information as an 11 x 17 brochure. In fact, I have kept several examples of post cards as example of what NOT to do (similar to my business card collection) when you are contemplating a direct mail campaign. I am opting out of showing them because they may get recognized but trust me, they are terrible.

It's real easy - when you decide to throw your hat into the direct mail ring, just remember, less is more. If you flood the entire front and back of a postcard in the hopes of getting your complete message across, your wordy piece piece of post office love is going to find it's way into the round file. When this happens, the only one that benefited from your endeavor was the post office.

So what's a person to do when you want to get the most out of your direct mail program.

1. If you are promoting a "sale" focus on the time sensitive information and the action items associated with the event.
   
2. Focus on a "pain" and elude to a solution. This will elicit a contact.
3. Keep your message as short as possible and still be able to convey the "need-to-know" information.
   
4. Design an interesting "front" that will make people want to turn it over and find out more.
5. If you are engaging in a multi-month direct mail campaign, make sure all of your pieces have continuity with each other inside the confines of the campaign.

Before you begin, sit down and work out a plan for your campaign. Address who you want to target, what you want to target them with, how many times you want to "touch" them during the campaign and what is your follow up plan. If you know what you want before you approach your designer or ad exec, you will be much further ahead.

Some of our most successful direct mail campaigns have included nothing more than the company's website or one word on the front. However, the highest rate of return I have experienced, has been with dimensional mail. This type of mailing has a higher cost per piece and typically a lower volume but we have seen returns as high as 27%.

Bottom Line? Clean, simple text and design = better results

Have questions about marketing? Let me know what's on your mind. C'mon, talk to BigPappa!

 

My Favorite TV Commercial Of All Time.

I know, I know, we have been down this road before. I was hoping for something new or something fresh this year from the Super Big Game Bowl (what ever we can call it), but again, I was let down. In fact I have been disappointed since 2002 when, what I believe to be, the greatest television commercial of all time was released.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Terry Tate, Office linebacker.



Reebok made a series of shorts around the Terry Tate character. The acting is great, the effects are good, but the writing is over-the-top without being in your face. I mean seriously, take a look at the name of the company. Also, in the sensitivity training video, pay attention to the name of the HR firm that they hired.

Lester "Mighty Rasta" Speight (the actor playing Terry Tate) did an awesome job. Lines like "you kill the joe, you make some mo", and "you can't bring that weak a** stuff up in this humpity-bumpity" are simply priceless. I don't care how many times I go back and watch this, it makes me laugh every time.

So let me have it. What do YOU think is the best television commercial of all time? What is your favorite spot and why? Try and convince me otherwise and maybe I'll reconsider, but probably not. Until then Terry Tate has my vote for the best TV commercial of all time.

 

Smoking: The Advertising of Yesterday

I just love running across these old smoking ads. I used another one in a post I wrote about Mad Men.

I am fascinated by the ads from the 50's and 60's, especially the ones that were targeted to, or used the status of women to get their message across. They were so insulting by today's standards.

But wait, it gets better. What till you feast your eyes on this. Here is an actual article that I believe appeared in the Housekeeping Monthly publication, circa 1955. You may have to click on the image to enlarge it.



My how far we have come. Now be nice you guys!

 

The Decision To Buy Local

When I watch TV or listen to the radio, typically the best creative comes from non-locally owned companies. I mean seriously, how awesome is this spot. When I say locally owned I am talking about smaller business that may have 1 or more stores and serving a rather smaller geographic area. I am NOT talking about WalMart or BestBuy.

Now granted, big companies are going to have BIG budgets and can hire better talent, creative directors, and big time ad agencies. However, this doesn't mean that just because you are a local business, your advertising has to suffer. There are all kinds of ways for a smaller business to deliver good creative.

Whatever you do, DO NOT let the local TV or radio station assembly line your spot. Hire someone that has a proven track record and can demonstrate proficiency in creative, production and design. Same thing goes with your printed material. Don't sacrifice on your graphic design. Hire a professional designer or marketing company that knows design. Don't rely on someone that says, "Hey Jim Bob, I know how to use Publisher and Word. I can make you a real purdy brochure." AND, don't take your final design to a color copy shop. Have it printed by a professional, commercial printing company. Now there is an exception that I am willing to accept. If you only need 50 of the finished product, then that is an obvious exception.

Now that I went off on that tangent, here is the real question that I am wondering about and would like some answers from you guys. Marketing and advertising aside, when it comes time to make a purchase for a washer, dryer, TV, Vacuum, or whatever. Do you turn to a locally owned business or will you shop at a big box store? Let me know why you make your buying choice.

For me, I will support a local business if I can. I have even been known to pay more at a locally owned company. Now don't get me wrong, I still get toilet paper and other miscellaneous things at WalMart, Sams or Target, but when it comes to major purchases like appliances, and things of that nature, I am going to go to a local business. I have had some of my worst customer service experiences from companies like Sears, Mediacom and WellsFargo. Now bear with me as I have a tourettes episode. SEARS WILL NEVER GET A DIME OF MY MONEY AGAIN!!! Sorry about that, I am a little scarred.

Digression aside, when I make local purchases, not only is the service better in most cases, I feel I am helping a neighbor.

Your thoughts?

 

Make Money With Stockade Online Backup

Today is a historic day for The Big Bald Blog. Everyone put your hands together and welcome our very first sponsor; Stockade!

What do they do you ask. Well friends, let me tell you.

Stockade is a company that provides online file storage, data restoration and disaster recovery services. But here's the best part. For those of you interested in making money online, you can do it with Stockade. All you need to do is become a reseller and add this service to what you are already doing and you will earn 30% on all sales. AND you don't have to spend a dime to do it. You heard it right, it doesn't cost you anything. They will set you up with your own branded site, give you all the tools you need and they will do all the marketing for you. Folks, it doesn't get much better than that.

Not only are you making money as a reseller, you are providing some real value to the end users. This can be a revenue stream that supplements your existing services or you can work it full time. Either way you cut it, there are some real benefits of becoming a reseller.

• Provide a valuable service for your customers
• Generate a subscription-based, recurring revenue stream for your business
• No capital outlay for your business to get started
• Customized client software embedded with your reseller ID
• Stockade website and unique url for your new offering
• Easy to sell
• Easy for your customers to deploy
• Great profit margin
• Provided the infrastructure and technical support
  

Every company, big or small, needs to have a off-site electronic file backup plan as part of a bigger disaster recovery program. Too often as a company grows, the need for a data restoration solution is often forgotten. This is where Stockade can help.

• Backups are stored off site in a secure, world-class data center
• Redundant copy stored in a second data center over 500 miles away
• Reduces human error through automation
• Eliminates the frustration associated with handling tapes
• All stored data is encrypted using 256bit AES encryption – only your customer has the passphrase to un-encrypt the data
• Addresses HIPAA, GLBA and Sarbanes Oxley offsite data storage compliance
• Easy restoration of data
• Economical
  

Stockade takes the worry out of backing up critical data. The Stockade solution takes the human element out of the process by automatically sending the compressed and encrypted backup files off site to a secure, world-class data center via the Internet. From there a customer has total control of their files. AND as an added bonus, stockade offers a risk free trial at no charge. Don't like it? Pay nothing. The customer has nothing to loose.

The online backup services provided by Stockade are not only guaranteed to pump up your revenue generation, but it will provide some real value to your customers.

To find out how to become an online backup reseller, click the ad at the right and sign up for more information today.

 

Internet Ad Spending

Once again the reports are out and they are showing BIG numbers. According to the IAB 3rd quarter spendings set a new high at - are you ready for this - $5.2 billion. Some are claiming that the internet is on pace to break $20 billion in revenue by the end of the year. Out of the total spending, paid searches comprise 41% of the revenues.

"The continued robust growth of the industry indicates that marketers increasingly understand and appreciate the benefits of interactive advertising," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "Marketers large and small have come to accept digital media as the fulcrum of any marketing strategy."

With so many people having the internet at their fingertips through mobile devices and ever expanding WIFI locations, you can rest assured that this number will continue to climb until it passes most traditional forms of media.

Has the shift in your advertising budget occurred yet?

 

Sponsored Ads or SEO?

Do you spend the time or the money? I have been doing a lot of reading lately on the different approaches to site traffic generation. The big debate lately is organic SEO or PPC type advertising.

Most of the experts agree that it really depends on the type of site you have as well as the people that you are marketing to. However, many feel that anyone can benefit from some combination of the two. With a PPC campaign the results are mostly immediate but will cost you some cash. With organic SEO it will cost you less in green but cost you more in human capitol or time, AND it will take more time to build traffic through the natural link building process. Having a combination of the 2 will obviously yield better results.

Just the other day I was speaking with a business owner about his website. They have a 100% flash site that doesn't index at all on it's own for anything that they do. For the first 6 months, post launch, they relied heavily on PPC traffic. Everything was going well until they got to a certain point where they no longer had the time or the desire to continue the management of their PPC campaign. Once that fell by the wayside, so did their traffic.

So what do you do? I think every website can benefit from traditional organic SEO, especially if you have a unique product or a very narrow niche. It's easier to optimize a site for narrower niche than it would be to optimize a site for something like web hosting or web design. If you have a really broad category it is going to take longer to achieve the desired results due to the competition. This is when you may want to take a look at a PPC campaign and look at the how much competition there is for your main keywords.

Learn to take advantage of all the tools available on the internet and identify who is searching for your product. Always remember that nothing can replace quality content with appropriate keyword density. Like Eric Ward says, "It's about the veracity of the content. I'd rather have links from ugly sites created by business school professors using Netscape composer than a million from gorgeous sites about nothing, or directories with PageRank 4 that nobody has ever heard of." This excerpt is from his article, "Five Ways Link Builders Hurt Themselves."

I am curious on how you search. For me, I normally look at the organic results first and then I go to the sponsored listings on the page. How often do you click on the sponsored listings?

 

What's The Difference Between Marketing And Advertising?

People often confuse the concepts of marketing, advertising, public relations and branding. Advertising is marketing, public relations is marketing and branding is a result of advertising and marketing. However if you are still confused, I stumbled across a graphical representation on Ads of the World that does a pretty good at illustrating the 4 concepts.

For quite some time I have been a fan of the website Ads of the World. Obviously a large majority of the ads showcased on the site are from "overseas" and some of the ads wouldn't see the light of day here in the states. Nonetheless, it is a great site to see some good creative. ANYWAY, for those of you seeking the answers, here they are.



Oh yeah, happy Halloween!

 

A New Look At Advertising

Hello gang, Just got back from God's Country - Wisconsin. Hung out at the cabin for a couple to days to unplug, unwind and recharge. The only advertising I am subject to up in the north woods is the occasional beer sign at the local tavern. So there you have it - the reason for no post on Friday.

I have been thinking about how advertising has taken on many new forms over the last few years. Vehicle wraps are all over the place and now you can see moving billboards driving around various cities. People have even gone to extremes by making their body an advertising space. Certain individuals like Kari Smith and "SundayBrew" Joe are tattooing themselves with logos or websites for certain financial considerations. Some of these dollar amounts are not that impressive. After all, you are going to have this tattoo the rest of your life. For me, it better be a life changing amount of money if I am going to do that. Good grief, Kari had an online poker website tattooed on her forehead for the paltry sum of $10K. I mean are you kidding me? To each his own I guess.

There are other forms of "on body" advertising out there that are much less permanent. I just ran across something called Handvertising. If I understand it correctly, you commit to buy a certain amount of impressions through "handvertising." You send your artwork to HandvertisingUSA and they will make a stamp with your logo or message. "We then give the stamp to our network and it will remain in use until the desired number of “impressions” (hand stamps) is reached" says Mike Brown, CEO of HandvertisingUSA. Apparently, the company has a large network of venues like clubs, bars, fairs, etc that the company has partnered with. Innovative for sure, I would hope the ink lasts longer and looks better than your standard bar stamp.

What have you seen that is new or upcoming forms of advertising? Let me know.

 

Google AdSense is Gone

Since I use Firefox, sometimes I don't see what others are seeing in IE. Yesterday it was brought to my attention that an IE user was seeing a "page can not be found" in some of the AdSense locations. So I dusted off my IE and went in and looked. Yep, sure enough, there it was.

I know that Google will only allow 3 ads per page to display. I have 10 posts showing on the home page and since I had the AdSense code in the header above each post, only the first 3 ads would show. Up until now there has been no effect on the other 7 posts that show up on my home page. Evidently something has changed. The second three posts were showing up with the "page can not be found" error in the header.

So I decided to venture out and take a look at some of my other favorite blogs. I went on over to JohnCow's site and it was doing the same thing in IE. Obviously I am not getting a fraction of the traffic that the Cow is but nonetheless, it looks bad. And that, boys and girls, is why I decided to take the AdSense off. If they get it fixed I will put it back up. It's not like I was making any money from having them anyway. With over 36,000 page views in the last three and a half months, I had only made $5.63. I can't even think of anything clever to say that I would buy with that.

 

Marketing Something Controversial

I was watching the show Mad Men last night, which is a fantastic show by the way. Anyway one of the accounts that Sterling-Cooper (the show's ad agency) services is Lucky Strike Cigarettes. Set in the 1960's, the stigma associated with smoking isn't nearly as bad as it is today. However, there is increasing pressure on the cigarette industry from consumer interest groups. The ad execs at Sterling-Cooper are always challenged to show smoking in a favorable light despite public and government pressure.

This type of scenario plays itself out in the real world as well. Often times you are challenged with marketing something that may be unpopular or controversial according to public opinion. However since society has moved toward an accepting and liberal view point, public opinion says that just about everything is acceptable. Given this shift, it's not hard to find someone to market for you. In a post a couple of days ago, I kind of went off the deep end and vented a little bit, but what transpired resulting in that post is exactly what I am talking about. In the 60's if you wanted to promote tobacco it was OK, but to promote an alternate lifestyle, that would be unheard of. Today, if you are on board with the crowd like those that would attend the Folsom Street Fair, it is almost seen as fashionable, but you better not smoke. As a marketer the choices you make about who you represent can effect others.

It's up to you to decide whether or not you want to represent something controversial and how your other clients are going to react. I personally, will always error on the conservative side. On several occasions I have turned down work, that would be extremely profitable, due to it's controversial nature but I am convicted in that way.

What's your thoughts? All money is green and make it how you can or are you selective on the work that you choose to do?

 

What Our Society Has Sunk To

I don't even know what to say.

The Mockery of The Last Supper.

And there's Miller Lite at the head of the line. Kudos to you Miller Brewing Company.

Sad, simply sad.

 

Television Commercials done right.

Hello Gang! It's my birthday today and I was thinking about taking the day off, laying on my couch and watching some TV. Then I came to my senses.

I have quite a collection of RSS feeds coming into my Google Desktop and a headline caught my interest a while back and I decided to save the post. It was on Charlie Cook's blog. The post was called "7 Reasons Most Video Commercials are a Waste of Money..." He has some very valid points but I think in order better understand TV's effectiveness you have to point out the differences between the types of commercials and the solution for poor creative.

His seven reasons for TV commercials being a waste of money are right on and can all be tied to creative. If you haven't heard it before, I'll say it again - Creative is key. Properly written, designed and executed ads that get the information across in a clever manner are better retained by a viewer.

I think, to better understand the effectiveness of a TV ad, you need break TV commercials down into 3 categories. Understanding that each category has a different delivery style, they all need to start with a good creative foundation to better convey the message

1. Toma ads.

2. Event/promotion based ads.

3. PSA type ads.

Each type of ad has a completely unique message and production needs to understand the specific delivery requirements for each type of spot.

Toma or Top-of-mind awareness ads are commonly the most creative. Developing these type of spots, a creative director, copy writer and a producer can have the most fun. You're not being pressed to get a bunch of time sensitive and/or price point information into 30 seconds. This gives you more time to send your message is a manner that will grab a viewers attention. Since this type of spot usually has a longer "shelf life" you can dedicate more time to production and concepting.

With event or promotion spots you are required to cram sale dates, calls to action, price points, specials and other need-to-know information into a short amount of time. A higher level of creative is often sacrificed to include the necessary promotional information. However, this doesn't mean that production quality has to suffer. Obviously this type of commercial isn't on air very long, but done right it will do its job and drive traffic.

PSA type spots typically deliver a soft sell and heart felt message. Creative for this type of commercial manifests itself in quality production. Properly written copy coupled with compelling visual is the key to success when producing these type of ads.

Properly executed creative needs to be done right. Think it through. Hire a competent creative director, copy writer and production crew. It may cost a little more than having a local network affiliate produce your commercial, but in the long run, you will get a better product.

 

Are People Ignoring Online Ads?

Banner Blindness - A term that refers to web users and how they ignore online ads. According to Jacob Nielson's August 20th Alertbox, eye tracking studies reveal that most online user never look anything that appears to be an ad. Even if it's not an ad, if it looks like an ad, users will still ignore it.

"At all levels of user engagement, the finding is the same regarding banners: ...almost no fixations within advertisements. If users are looking for a quick fact, they want to get done and aren't diverted by banners; and if users are engrossed in a story, they're not going to look away from the content."

What is an online advertiser to do? Eye tracking studies indicate that there are 3 things that will divert people's attention from content.

1. Plain Text
2. Faces
3. Cleavage and other "private" body parts.

These top 3 formats, especially #3 may not be applicable to your site. However there is a 4th format that Jakob calls an "unethical path to ad fixations." If you make your ad look like content, it will attract attention.

• "The more an ad looks like a native site component, the more users will look at it.
• Not only should the ad look like the site's other design elements, it should appear to be part of the specific page section in which it's displayed."

Keep in mind the cautionary lesson to be learned here. If you trick your readers into clicking on an ad they think is content, they aren't going to be very happy with you and may begin looking elsewhere.

How can we use this information to make a better online ad? You need to beware of fancy formatting. Big words, bold colors and text design all make content look like promotion and ends up getting ignored. Nielsen did a study where a number of people were given question that could be answered by looking at a website. The answer was clearly indicated in big red numbers in the upper right hand corner of the homepage. 86% of the users failed to find the information requested. Even though the section contained the exact information they were looking for, over half of the test subjects saw the information but didn't use it to answer the question. Over 1/3 of the users didn't see the information at all. "The reason? The information resembled a promotion."

I recently conducted an informal survey on a web development forum. The question, "Do you click advertisements on website?" yielded similar results. The majority responded that they seldom click on ads and if they do it has to be extremely relevant to what they are looking for.

Bottom line?

• Use clean design with little or no fluff.
  
• Focus on the user's needs and why they are visiting the website you are advertising on. In other words, advertise on a site relevant to your service offerings.
  
• Make sure the user knows exactly what's going to happen when they click on your ad.
• Provide some real value when they click on your ad.
• Have a properly formatted landing page with a call to action to maximize conversions.
• Don't trick users.

As online advertising continues it's record setting climb, it becomes more important to refine the way we advertise. Internet information seekers are becoming more savvy and are less affected by online ads compared to 6 years ago. Remember, keep your ads clean, useful and honest. If you follow these simple guidelines you will be able to maximize your ad's effectiveness.

I am curious what you think. Do you click on ads or sponsored listings when browsing? In your opinion, what is the most annoying thing about online ads?

Let me know your thoughts.


Other interesting reading on the subject:

• Firefox users ignore online ads
  

 

Who Should Build Your Website?

I took Friday off and went to God's country in northern Wisconsin to unplug and unwind. This is a picture taken from the deck of the place we went to. I just love it up there!

Anyway, I took some friends with me and, inevitably, the topic of websites came up. One of my friends said, "I am thinking about getting started on a website." We talked about cost, hosting, cost, content, cost, and a mess of other things including why it costs so much to get a "good" website. Obviously he kept getting hung up on the costs. Knowing him like I do, he will find "some guy that knows someone, that works out of his basement, that can do a site for cheap"

I can't tell you how often I have heard someone say, "I know this college kid that is going to build me a website for $500.00, OR I think I'm going to build my own site on Yahoo. At that point, I am torn between saying "Go for it" and educating them about the street called, "Colossal Mistake Ave."

Not building a site with a free or templated service is pretty much common sense to those of us in the business. Dawud Miracle has a pretty good post about owning your own website.

OK fine, so a 20 year old kid in college may know how to code or build a web site using a one of the many WYSIWYG editors available today, but what does he know about business in general or about marketing your company?

Can he or she write the site content? Creating compelling copy that sells your products is essential to online success.

The only reason I bring this up is that we are in the process of building a website for a company that has done the $600 build TWICE now. The worst thing about their last 2 versions was, even if you knew the name of the company, you couldn't find it through a search. Both times the site was built by the lowest bidding college kid that knew a little flash, some html and thought that Front Page was the greatest thing since the invention of "beer pong".

Just remember, good design, good content and forward market thinking is what contributes to the success of your site. Pony up the dough and get your site done right, the first time. The sweetness of the low price is long forgotten when the bitterness of no results is realized.

 

Viral Marketing Part 3

I "Stumbled Upon" this image somewhere out in cyberspace. How funny is this?

My recent posts Viral Marketing-Part 1 and Viral Marketing-Part 2 talk about the impact that this type of marketing has on the way information is spread. Then a report came out from Jupiter Research saying how viral marketing is not working anymore. So miserable were the reported results of targeted viral campaigns that "only 15% of viral campaigns in the past year achieved the goal of prompting consumers to promote the marketer's message."

The report laid out the demographics most likely to spread messages, the impact of social media, and a host of other factors that contribute to viral marketing and why it isn't working.

HOLD ON A MINUTE HERE!

This isn't what viral marketing is all about. Viral marketing happens all on it's own. You can't force it. Like Seth Godin says: "True viral marketing happens not when the marketer plans for it or targets bloggers or skateboarders or pirates with goatees, but when the item/service/event is worth talking about." AND, it's going to happen whether you want it to or not. South Carolina's Miss Teen contestant is a prime example with over 14 million views during the past several weeks. Given that kind of exposure, I'm sure she's wanting a "do-over." There was no marketing, no strategic planning, it just happened and people spread the message.

But these are the consequences of something that goes "viral." Those who know the story behind the "Star Wars Kid" understand what I am talking about.

Don't try and take shortcuts in marketing. Market to people that are listening and are fans of your product or service. Make you message extraordinary and people will listen. Identify what you do and your unique selling point and you will do more good than trying to force people to talk about you.

 

Ugly Betty Advertising.

Pictured above is a mall ad for the Ugly Betty Show.

This, my friends, is great advertising. A concept like this is what it takes to grab people's attention and allows them remember your message. I know it is cliche', but you need to think "outside the box" in your marketing efforts. Or better yet, like Seth Godin says, "Thinking outside the box isn't nearly as productive as building a bigger one."

If what you are used to doing is becoming common-place, it's time to evolve your paradigm. Marketing outside your comfort zone, will allow consumers to see your business in a new light.

Out of the box doesn't have to be expensive. Simple dimensional mail campaigns or something like billboard extensions are what makes the difference. Good creative is essential for successful marketing. Without it you run the risk of getting lost is the sea of other advertisers.

Like Albert Einstein said: "Insanity: is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." If what you are doing is working; great! If it's not - build yourself a bigger box and explore all the new space.

 

Radio's Reign Coming To A Close?

In terms of audio, "by 2008, online advertising spending in the US is projected to surpass radio advertising spending for the first time."

An article by eMarketer " estimates that US online ad spending will reach $21.7 billion this year, while radio spending will grow only slightly to $20.4 billion."

Granted, the radio listening audience is still very large and can not be discounted. After all, the radio ratings company, Arbitron still has to make money. Surprisingly, in the study Arbitron conceded the fact that radio is less important is people's live than the Internet or TV. "Data from a number of researchers indicates that traditional radio is losing its significance in people's lives. US adults are spending more time each day on the Internet and watching TV than listening to the radio."

Given these trends, it is critical for the radio industry to adapt quickly in an attempt to fend off the market share loss to the Internet. A lot of progressive radio stations have already integrated the Internet into their broadcast through the use of podcasts and online streaming media. This type of integration gives listeners additional options. However loosing listeners may be inevitable and radio industry may see itself in the same position as the newspaper industry.

The final words of wisdom - "Marketers should not abandon radio in favor of the Web—they should combine both mediums to take advantage of the unique attributes of both."

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The Sale of all Sales

You have heard it a million times. "3 DAYS ONLY" or "1 DAY INVENTORY BLOW OUT" or better yet, "THIS IS THE ONE SALE YOU DON'T WANNA MISS."

Those are all great action words used in scripts and promotional spots for a sale, but with out a true call to action they are worthless.

Let's say that your company is running a "no payment for 2 years" promotion that is designed to drive traffic to your website. The only place they can sign up for the incentive is on your site. But what happens when the prospect gets to your website? What does your sale landing page look like? Have you written compelling copy that elicits a response? Is there a call to action on the page to remind the visitor why they are there?

For most companies in the small business segment, marketing dollars are extremely limited and every day companies across the country are running promotions. Some are effective and some are not. The next time you want toss some dollars into the marketing ring, think about your call to action. Get into the mind of the consumer, do your research and ask yourself if the call to action would motivate your typical customer to act when presented with the promotion. Also ask yourself if you are providing value. If consumers don't see value in your promotion, it will have the same chance of success that the Hindenburg did.

When you need legal help you turn to a lawyer. When you need financial help you turn to a CPA or a financial advisor. Handle your marketing the same way. Surround yourself with professionals that understand marketing and people that can help you responsibly allocate your marketing dollars.

 

Mad Men: The Advertising of Yesterday

"Blow in her face and she'll follow you anywhere." Oh my. The face of advertising sure has changed. From gender rolls to activities that are now seen as undesirable, this ad shows us where we were, in relation to where we are now.

This ad reminds me of the new AMC television series called Mad Men. The show being about an advertising agency in 1960, portrays numerous topics and ideas that are now off color or unacceptable. Children playing "spaceman" with plastic bags over their heads, kids jumping around the car as it is moving, driving down the road with glass of scotch, doctors smoking while giving a pelvic exam, and other images of yesteryear that are seen as taboo in our current society are all part of the show. The directors and the set creators have done a fantastic job with this series. Try to catch it the next time it's on. Even if you are not in the ad game, you will enjoy the show tremendously.

 

The Impact Of The Internet On Newspaper Advertising

How the Internet has hurt newspaper sales and advertising revenue continues to pepper the press. Back in May I wrote an article about the decline in newspaper advertising dollars and again just a few weeks ago I referenced the falling percentages of newspaper advertising revenue in a post called "Rate Card Woes."

A very interesting study was released this month from Harvard. Funded by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, this new report contained information that describes the increase in website traffic for major brand newspapers and other major online news sources. The report also studies small to mid-sized city newspaper websites. Findings indicate that online news seekers are neglecting the local newspaper websites in favor of major newspaper and television websites.

Nationally known newspaper Web sites such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today are attracting a larger audience. On average large newspaper site traffic increased by 10 percent over the past year. In comparison Web sites of most other newspapers of large, medium and small cities are losing their audiences. This isn't the most interesting finding though. The biggest traffic gains are being seen by non-traditional news sources. It was found that Google, Yahoo, AOL, and MSN had significant increases in traffic over the past year with social media sites and news aggregators seeing an 800% gain in site traffic.

The study also found that the Internet is a bigger threat to local news organizations because it decreases the influence of geography on user's choice of a news source.

For me, the biggest surprise in the report were the findings for commercial radio station web traffic. Large commercial radio station saw a huge increase in web traffic and mid-size radio station saw a slight increase during the term of the study.

At the bottom of the heap was national and local public radio with their stats plummeting sharply over the last year. NPR alone lost 20% or 400,000 of their unique visitor from April 2006 to April 2007.

Brand name, large market and local television websites all saw increase traffic from people seeking new during the study.

So what does this study tell us?

• First and foremost - People are seeking news on the internet
• People are seeking news on large, brand name websites
• People are getting their news from non-traditional and social media outlets

Does this mean that people are caring less about local news? Not at all. You can get your local news from an aggregated feed on Yahoo Local News can't you?

The most significant quote from the study:

"The Internet is redistributing the news audience in ways that is threatening some
traditional news organizations. Local newspapers have been the outlets that are most at risk, and they are likely to remain so. If our trend analysis is borne out, many newspapers are going to have difficulty even holding onto their online readers. Brand-name newspapers’ sites, as well as some others are growing, but a significant proportion of newspaper sites are stagnant or losing visitors. This development was perhaps inevitable. The problem of newspapers is compounded by the fact that they cannot succeed simply by replacing their hard-copy readers with online readers. On a person-by-person basis, the sale of hard-copy newspapers is vastly more profitable than drawing people to the paper’s website. It is estimated that a newspaper needs to attract two or three dozen online readers to make up for—in terms of advertising revenue—the loss of a single hard-copy reader. When people go to the Internet for news, they can just as easily navigate to a source outside their community as one within it, bypassing a local site in favor of a known site elsewhere. Therein is a primary reason why brand-name news organizations, like CNN and the New York Times, have large Web audiences."

That being said, could it be possible that we will witness the death of a media in our generation?
I still have a few 8 track tapes, I think.


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Those Sneaky Graphic Designers

Going about my daily browse on Digg, I ran across a site featuring their "Phallic Logo Awards". This section of B3TA's site is dedicated to logos that have some sort of, perceived or real, phallic symbolism I can't help but think that some of these were intentional. I mean seriously, look at this example.



I think this type of thing is done by graphic designers more often than we know. Take for example the cover art from the Little Mermaid. There is well defined image of something that could be considered phallic. Even though the urban legend has been debunked, it claims a disgruntled artist intentionally put this in as a way of getting back at Disney. Whether or not anyone is willing to admit it, this has to be intentional.



Another prime example is Disney's The Rescuers. A quote from Snopes sheds some light on the issue - "January 1999, Disney announced a recall of the home video version of their 1977 animated feature The Rescuers because it contained an "objectionable background image." Approximately 38 minutes into the film, as rodent heroes Bianca and Bernard fly through the city in a sardine box strapped to the back of Orville...the photographic image of a topless woman can be seen at the window of a building in the background in two different (non-consecutive) frames...The two "topless woman" frames have reputedly been present in the film ever since its original 1977 theatrical release." I have blotted out the naughty parts but you can see the examples below.






The list goes on and on. From Who Framed Roger Rabbit to Disney's Aladdin, there are many examples of sneaky artists or animators. Take a look at this mid 80's Australian Coke ad. Snopes confirmed that, "The graphic artist who designed the picture put this in as a joke, and it went through unnoticed until someone spotted it on the back of a Coke truck. The artist lost his job and was sued..."




Of course, you have to differentiate the workings of one person trying to slide something in as a joke and well executed or planned hidden imagery. Modern advertising incorporates all kinds of covert imagery and symbolism designed to illicit a response. Then again, people can also see something where there may be noting at all. The infamous "Camel Man" on the front of a pack of Camel Cigarettes and numerous other examples in pop culture are often a stretch, but create conversation and product discussion nonetheless. So how much is intentional? We can only wonder.

 

Internet Ad Spending

According to the IAB, "Internet advertising revenues for the first quarter reached $4.9 billion, representing a 26% increase over the first quarter of 2006..."


Jupiter Research says that it is estimated that online advertising will reach $35.4 billion in 2012.

There is no doubt in my mind that this growth will continue until online ad spending surpasses all other forms of media. Is your company being proactive in your Internet marketing efforts? What is your action plan for advertising in the new mass media?

 

How People Use The Internet

"Woa, they have the Internet on computers now." - Homer Simpson

The rest of the world may be a tad bit ahead of Homer. In taking a look at how people use the Internet and what consumers deem as most influential in their information gathering, the Internet continues to climb the charts. An Edison Media research study conducted by Arbitron in January and February of 2007, revealed that over a third of consumers saw newspapers as "least essential."



Larry Rosin of Edison Media Research said, "It is not a stretch to say that the Internet has become just as important as television as an important source of information and entertainment in the lives of Americans."

In a release from the Center for Media Research, broadband Internet users are spending almost HALF of their free time on the Internet pursuing activities related to entertainment and communication. Just to give you an idea on the numbers, more than 90 million Americans have broadband connections. These people are using half their free time surfing the Internet.

But TV is still the strongest player right? The simple answer is yes with some qualifications. When you see an ad on television that references a website, do people write that down and check it later? Well, according to eMarketer research, 25-30% are "multitasking." This means that they are on the Internet while they are watching TV. An increasing number of consumers are viewing several media sources at once.



Why would anyone find these results shocking? After all, directing consumers to the web has been the goal for most advertisers for quite some time. Does this cause a problem for advertisers? Not any more than TIVO or a DVR's, which are estimated to climb to 50% of subscribers by 2010 (this is a whole other topic to be discussed at a later date).

A good friend of mine has a computer tied right to his TV and accesses it with a wireless keyboard. When the need arises, browsing is instantaneous and as a result, some of the commercials are missed.

So where does this leave advertisers? It leaves them with the understanding that a direct and aggressive approach to online advertising is critical. Keep your online message clear, clean, authoritative and integrate a clear call to action.

 

Perspectives on Creativity

Post contributed by
guest blogger Jen Williams; media
consultant and marketing professional.

"I have my best ideas alone.

Yes, I’m all for teamwork and brainstorming sessions. I’m all for taking those great ideas, bouncing them around the conference room, and seeing where they land. But when it comes to coming up with something truly inspired – whether it’s as simple as a name for a promotion or as complex as a new business idea – I do my best work solo.

Everyone has hers or his own opinions about creativity and where it comes from. From Thoreau and Walden Pond to musicians and their muses, art has historically been known as a solitary pursuit. But as art and business have merged into commercial media, many agencies, marketing departments, newsrooms and editorial boards began modifying the creative process to fit popular business models.

So, amid team-building initiatives and group brainstorming sessions, a lot of individual creativity is lost. Research has shown that, despite its popularity, the concept of teamwork is overrated. Team members, one study showed, tend to work about half as hard on a team than they would work on their own. (http://www.info-arch.org/lists/sigia-l/0606/0097.html; http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06164/697891-28.stm)

Sure, great ideas sometimes hit me out of nowhere, when I’m in the shower or on my morning commute. There’s a lot to be said for the freedom of an open mind, allowed to wander behind a background of white noise. But for me, those random ideas tend to be abstract. Rarely do I have an actual “eureka moment,” when I’m compelled to pull over on the highway’s shoulder to write down that perfect new slogan for the project I’ve been working on.

More often, I’ll be in a meeting during which the team will conclude that this such-and-such needs a new tagline, and six people will look at me expectantly as if I’m going to pull something brilliant out of thin air. Instead, I’ll write down the task assigned and tell them to give me some time.

Then I’ll go in my office, set the phone to go straight to voicemail, turn off my email program, turn up the volume on the radio, close the door, stare at my blank screen a while, and start writing.

Free writing really works for me. When forced to be creative on demand, I find a blank screen especially daunting. I will put whatever words pop into my head on that page, just to have something there. Then I will start making lists. Lists of words I might use in the particular name or jingle or slogan or tagline or print ad. Yes, I’ll even tap into my handy dandy desktop thesaurus (Mac Users: I love Widgets!) and make lists of synonyms for words already on the list. Then I’ll try a
hundred different combinations of all the words on my various lists until something sounds good.

It doesn’t work every time. There are days when I can’t write anything worth a crap to save my life. If I’m at it for more than an hour or so, and the voice mail light is furiously blinking and people are lining up outside my closed office door waiting to talk to me, I’ll probably call it quits for the day and try again tomorrow.

But more often than not, I come up with something not half bad. And maybe, I’ll bring it to the next meeting, and someone on the team will think of some small way to improve it. Or a graphic design to illustrate it. Or a music bed to emphasize it. And then, team creativity kicks into gear and real brainstorming can happen.

But when you create for a living, the real idea has to come from inside you. On your own. It’s not some sort of muse-inspired work of art. It’s your job, and the designer or printer or producer or client doesn’t really care what you were thinking about in the shower this morning. You’re on deadline. Now get to work!"

Whether it is a collaborative effort or a force of one, the bottom line is; great creative is the key to a successful campaign. Without it, your message is just another meaningless diversion in the eyes of a consumer. Thanks for the post Jen.

 

Rate Card Woes.

David Honig, WebProNews contributor, made one the best statements I have read in a long time.

Referring to the big decline in newsprint advertising, he says; "Do not weep for the rate card, for it has enjoyed a long and prosperous life, arbitrarily plundering from advertisers without providing any meaningful value."

I have been saying this for years and it is now becoming painful to everyone including the big boys.

"The Tribune Company, owner of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, posted a 5% drop in advertising revenue in their first quarter of 2007. Gannet Company Inc., owner of USA Today, and the New York Times Company both posted a 3% drop in national advertising revenue. This is all according to the most recent quarterly reports filed with the SEC."

Long live the ink and pulp.

 

Outdoor Advertising...Yay or Nay?

Outdoor advertising can take on many forms. Examples might be billboards, park benches, vehicle wraps, city bus signs and the like. This type of advertising does have its place but must be done correctly. Traditional knowledge agrees that outdoor advertising is not a stand alone media. Rather, it is a support media that adds legitimacy to the balance of your campaign. However, billboards do have a couple of primary uses. One being price point advertising and the other being directional instructions.

A perfect example of price pointing comes from one of the top 3 burger makers in the US, Burger King. When Burger King puts their famous low calorie Whopper on sale for .99 cents, up goes a billboard with their logo, the price, a lovely image of the most succulent morsel to ever hit the sky and the simple copy of "Wow" or "It's Back".

Not very long ago I saw a great example of a directional billboard on University Ave. in Waterloo, Iowa. Located just below the billboard was a pasta establishment. The billboard read; "Giant Meatballs Inside" and had a great big red arrow pointing down at the building.

Granted Burger King has a ton a brand equity, and not everyone can have their restaurant located directly below a 14 x 48 foot billboard, but these are examples of how billboards are done right.

The bottom line to remember. You have 5 seconds or less to grab some one's attention and convey your message with a billboard. On a billboards or other outdoor advertising, less is definitely more. I have seen way to many bus benches crammed with so much information that you would have a hard time reading even if you were stopped at the light for the full duration.

If you decide to place some outdoor advertising, you need to know that there is a lot that goes into the selection process. Location, size, showing, illumination, vinyl vs. paper, cost per impression, total impressions among other things, are all items that need consideration. It has to be done well and done effectively to maximize your ROI. If you have questions or concerns about outdoor advertising, talk to a professional marketing company for direction and effective creative.

 

Cumulus Media to be Bought Out!

Just announced - Cumulus Media, the 2nd largest radio group on the U.S. will be bought out for $1.3 BILLION (including debt) by an investor group led by Chief Executive Lewis Dickey and an affiliate of Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity.

Cumulus owns and/or operates 344 stations in the U.S. The buyout comes at a time when the future of traditional media is uncertain as radio stations are starting to compete with digital media outlets.

The transaction is scheduled to be complete by early 2008 and will include a 40% share price premium over what the stock was trading at on Friday. The board has approved the transaction and has encouraged shareholders to do the same. The nation's largest radio company, Clear Channel Communications, agreed earlier this year to be taken private in a $19.6 billion buyout.

 

Google's Adsense Crawler Gets Permission

The Google AdSense blog just announced that there is a new function that will provide you with the option to allow the AdSense Crawler to access your username/password protected directories.

The new AdSense feature called Site Authentication will provide better quality and more targeted ad in your login protected directories. Basically all you would have to do is set up a special U/P for the Googlebot. Now, this is assuming that you want ads in your secure areas.

The upside of this new add-on is that you will have a very specific and captive audience that are seeing the ads. "For example, let's say your news site has a premium content area, with articles that only paying members can access. To get ads on those pages, you can use Site Authentication to provide (the) crawler with a test username and password."

The down side is that you will need to do some house cleaning. If you have any sensitive or proprietary information behind door #1, you'll want to make sure you don't have the AdSense ads on those pages.

Google just keeps throwing useful little things into the mix. I just read that Google is now a certified domain name registrar and they may be releasing a new Google Phone called the Switch. The new phone is a collaberation between Google and Samsung. Some are eveb labeling it the "iPhone Killer"

You know; sometimes I sit back and reflect on simpler times. Times when there was no Google. Then I realize it wasn't as simple as I though back then.

 

Google Vs. Ebay

Just in case you haven't been following the Google/eBay tussle, here is a little background. eBay pulled all of their ads off Google when they tried to hold a private party competing with eBay's annual celebration. Dirty pool for sure and when the cry of foul was heard they cancelled the party. Most think it was due to the ad pulling frenzy that preceded. Most of the bad blood started when eBay disallowed the use of Google Checkout in favor of PayPal; which by the way eBay owns.

eBay execs are now insisting that the their pulling of the ads was a planned event to experiment and evaluate traffic without the help of Google. YEAH RIGHT. They kept their ads on Ask, MSN and Yahoo. This was an obvious retaliatory action in an attempt to give the sultan of search a bloody nose (something few companies are capable of).

Based on their "experiment", eBay says that a disproportionate amount of traffic in relation to spending was discovered and they plan on a "significant" scale back of spending in the US.

 

The Growing Game Console Market

The game console market hit a high in 2007 with a record 12.8 billion dollars being spent. From the Xbox360 and PS3 to the Wii, people are spending a record amount on systems and games. Jupiter Research says that by 2008, the game console penetration for households in the U.S. will be more than 50%.

During the 80's, I remember pumping countless quarters into the newest games that found their way into the arcades of the day. This was when the the Atari 2600 and eventually the Commodore 64 were the kings of home gaming. Obviously, video games have come a LONG way since the days of Space Invaders and PacMan. The market back then was a pretty specific demographic. Today, if you take a look at the players of video games, it spans a much broader demo. Some gaming authorities claim this level of spending is contributed to the innovation brought to the table from software producers and hardware manufacturers. I think there are additional factors that have contributed as well. Consumers that have always played video still do. Whether it is on a PC or a gaming console, the market for potential customers continues to grow as the people are tending not to drop out of the market. I know quite a few 40 year-olds that are playing video games with their children as well as friends. High speed Internet access and online gaming has introduced a new element that will continue to grow as the industry provides new and more complicated games that are tailored to the older generation of gamers.

Advertisers have been on board with this trend for some time now. The next time you are playing your favorite game, take a moment to look at the surroundings. See how many ads you see in the game. Most games, that have a modern setting, have some form of ads in them. From Pepsi and Coke to Quaker State and Pennzoil. For those of you have have played around in Second Life, you know exactly what I am talking about.

 

When and What to Cut

For quite some time I have subscribed to Seth Godin's Blog. I just read a post called "Fall into the Gap." It talks about Gap stores and the recent struggles they've been going through. Seth's post addresses the inappropriate cutbacks that the Gap has been making and he is right on.

Often times when a company is struggling, all they know to do is cut expenses. It's a nasty cycle. You become under-capitalized, cash flow begins to suffer and the owner turns to the only thing they feel they have control over, operational costs. But what is an appropriate cut? Do you cut sales people, close locations, eliminate advertising, what? When a company cuts back on their sales force or customer service, you know they are in a world of hurt and the end may be near. Sales people are the lifeblood of any organization, without them how do you retain and acquire new business? You need to identify your profitable markets, understand what you do best, market effectively, and understand the value of your key people.

I have a friend that owns a business. His one-track minded approach to revenue building is raising prices (regardless of market demand) and trying to figure out how to cut employee salaries. Declining any help that I have offered and after years of this approach, he now has the most expensive product in his market segment and continues to struggle with poor service and bad employees. Sales have continued to decline. I fear the damage that has been done is irreversible and he will never be able to climb out of the hole.

One of the most humbling things that a business owner can do is realize when they are out of their league and can't handle it any more. Once you realize that you don't know it all and you need help, you can surround yourself with people who "know more" than you do. This is when the healing can begin. Too often an owner will ride their pride into the bankruptcy sunset.

Seth said it best: "When your current strategy isn't working, doing the same thing, but just a little less of it, doesn't make a lot of sense..."

 

ASK Google...Mistaken Identity.

How funny is it when an advertising campaign backfires? Not very funny at all.

A little background first. Ask.com has been getting a lot of flack about their latest advertising campaign. The new campaign, a brainchild of Cripin, Porter & Bogusky, went a little "left of center" with some of the ad concepts. Many claim that the ads are a tad off color, slightly controversial or don't make sense at all. One such example can be seen here. Another billboard states; "The Algorithm Constantly Finds Jesus." Uhhh ok. I guess that means that Ask's algorithm is so good that that it knows where Jesus is.

So here is the funny part. According to the SEO RoundTable site, one of their contributors initiated a survey on Digg. The question was; "Is Ask.com's "The Algorithm" Campaign Really working?" 74% of the respondents actually thought that it was a campaign for Google.

I have to admit, I didn't quite get the campaign at first. The TV commercials were clever but were driven by humor that may escape most. At first glance the campaign appears to be a miserable failure for ASK. However, if the poorly received campaign was attributed to Google, it may not have been a complete disaster after all.

 

Google News

June 12th, 2007 from the Google Press Center. Google announced the new Content Placement Reports for AdWord advertisers. This new report will give AdWord advertisers the ability to see the exact sites that their ads are appearing on. The available data will consist of, "...domain, URL, impression, click, conversion and cost data – as well as aggregated metrics for traffic generated from AdSense for domain sites." This new feature will now give people the ability to better track their advertising dollars and adjust their spending accordingly.

 

EBay To Begin Auctioning Radio Ads

Online auction mogul EBay will begin auctioning Internet and terrestrial radio spots from more than 2500 providers. EBay has partnered with, privately held, Bid4Spots Inc., in the midst of a longstanding and informal boycott from the Cable Advertising Bureau. MediaPost reported that this boycott was in reaction to the "...fear that it would commoditize cable advertising buys."

This new development may usher in a new era of media buying. Bid4Spots boasts that advertisers are able to buy targeted markets, demos and day parts on Arbitron-rated stations that will air following the week of the purchase. According to USA Today, the spots being offered are going to be mostly prime spots airing Monday through Friday. However, EBay's radio auctions will target "last minute ad buyers" allowing participating stations to get real aggressive with their rates. This begins to question the value of the annually purchased media plan. This may be hazardous for a participating stations who are trying to maintain rate integrity.

Big broadcasters could now be forced to bring a bunch of value added and reduced rates to the table to off-set the lower auction prices. The other side of the coin is that unused station inventory can be dealt with any way a station sees fit. Successful concept or huge mistake? Only time will tell.

 

Slipstream Marketing?

"Dr. Max Sutherland, a Marketing Psychologist and Professor at Bond University, has written about a concept he refers to as 'slipstreaming.'... The clever implementation of slipstream style marketing campaigns can allow you to blow by your competition by using the momentum of well-known and instantly recognizable campaigns. Slipstreaming references a collective audience memory, a kind of shared consciousness. Skillful execution draws ínstant recognition and an "Oh I Get It!" reaction without a lot of wasted setup or groundwork. "Give Me The Same Thing, But Different!"" *Credit SitePro News

I went on an advertising pitch recently. After doing some research on the competition and what they were doing differently, we presented our findings to the prospect. When it was all said and done, the head of the department said that they were not interested in what XXXX was doing. Wow, very interesting. That is like saying that Pepsi is not interested in what Coke is doing or Ford is not interested in what Chevy is putting on the street. I am glad to say that we didn't get the account.

Slipstream advertising can take many forms the article says. Imitation in the form of voices, caracter likeness, play on words, comedic product flaws, mocking famous endorsments and the list goes on and on. Saturday Night Live does this all the time by taking current events (public awareness) and twisting them into a message.

The concept behind what Dr. Sutherland calls slipstreaming, is to do what "they" are doing but only different and better. With the understanding that "me too" advertising doesn't work, the key is to figure out how to make your version different but still memorable using the existing awareness. I once heard that every movie that can be made has been made and we are just spinning out different version of the same thing.

If you perform your slipstream marketing correctly, it can be innovative and memorable. If done poorly, it comes off like "me too" advertising and extremely lame.

Its all about creative. Its all about IMPACT.

Call Impact Marketing Technologies today for more information on how you can take your marketing to the next level. 319-232-IDEA