Marketing Archives - Page 63 of 67 - McLellan Marketing Group

Details, Details (Marketing Lessons from Walt)

November 28, 2006

This is the third in my eight-day series – Marketing Lessons from Walt. As my family and I enjoy Walt Disney World, I’m going to capture some of the marketing genius that I believe began with Walt’s passion and has now grown into one of the world’s most powerful brands.

The moment you cross onto Disney property, the magic begins. Yes, there are billboards touting the newest attractions. Sure, you might catch a glimpse of one of the signature structures like Epcot’s giant ball or Cinderella’s castle at the Magic Kingdom, but really it starts with their traffic signs.

Yup, traffic signs. We all know what they look like, right? Not Disney’s. You know you have crossed the threshold when you see signs like the one to the right.

The purple signs with mouse ear directional arrows are Disney’s way of signaling that a remarkable experience lies ahead. An experience where the attention to detail will delight and surprise you. Could they have used the standard street signs? Sure. But there was nothing special in doing it that way.

How do you signal your clients that something special is about to happen? That you and your company are extraordinary? What happens in your meetings or on your website or when your phone is answered that promises delights to come? Or are you just using the standard street signs?

Marketing Lessons from Walt – The Series:

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Privilege (Marketing lessons from Walt)

November 26, 2006

This is the second in my eight-day series – Marketing Lessons from Walt. As my family and I enjoy Walt Disney World, I’m going to capture some of the marketing genius that I believe began with Walt’s passion and has now grown into one of the world’s most powerful brands.

I witnessed an amazing sales lesson today. I watched the Red Raider Band from Uniontown, Pennsylvania proudly march in the Magic Kingdom‘s parade. I am sure for some of them, it was the highlight of their band career to date. But let’s look at what happened, from a sales perspective.

The buyer (the school) contacted the seller (Disney) unsolicited and asked to buy.

The seller said "Maybe, but prove your worth."

The buyer sent in an audition tape and application to Disney officials.

The buyer received an acceptance letter and ticket order form in return.

The buyers (students) paid for their own airfare, Disney lodging, and entrance into the theme parks.

The buyers helped Disney provide entertainment to their guests.

The buyer bought Disney t-shirts, sweatshirts, ears and other items to commemorate their trip.

The buyer no doubt also brought family and friends…who also stayed on Disney property, bought Disney tickets (have to cam cord the performance!) and Disney souvenirs.

And I doubt they only stayed for the day of the performance. Was that a cash register cha-ching I just heard? And they were thrilled to be the buyer. They’d do it again if they could. (The Rose Bowl and many other events handle band appearances like this too, by the way.)

Think only Disney can turn buying into a privilege? How about Harley Davidson? How about the consultant who only takes on two new clients a year?

Of course, the bigger question is this. How can you turn some aspect of doing business with you into a privilege that your potential consumers would pay a premium to have and be thrilled to do so? (Don’t underestimate that part of it. If they aren’t thrilled to do it, then you’re just too expensive.)

Marketing Lessons from Walt – The Series:

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Surprise (Marketing lessons from Walt)

November 25, 2006

This is the first in my eight-day series – Marketing Lessons from Walt. As my family and I enjoy Walt Disney World, I’m going to capture some of the marketing genius that I believe began with Walt’s passion and has now grown into one of the world’s most powerful brands.

We’re all familiar with the golden oldie – the giveaway. Typically, we ask customers to sign up to win or create some sort of contest. And then they wait to see if they won. And in most cases, probably forgot they even signed up.

To tie in with their yearlong theme, "The Year of a Million Dreams," Disney has added a brilliant twist to the age-old favorite.
They’ve added surprise.

Here’s their twist. "Imagine walking through one of the Walt Disney World Theme Parks when a Cast Member taps you on the shoulder to offer you a dream come true. Right now, over a million extra-special dreams, some thought impossible, are being randomly awarded to people just like you."

It goes on to list prizes that range from not having to stand in a single line all day (more valuable than you can imagine) to traveling around the world, touring all of the Disney parks.

No little pieces of paper for your name and phone number. No essay contest. You just win because you’re there. At that very moment.

Wow.

Surprise is a story-inspiring emotion. It demands to be shared.

How could you add one of Walt’s favorite elements — surprise — to your marketing mix?

Marketing Lessons from Walt – The Series:

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You are boring me.

November 24, 2006

I sat across from a potential client this week while he bemoaned the fact that he kept sending news releases but no one, not TV, radio or print, would pick up his stories.

He wasn’t happy with me when I told him the reason he wasn’t getting coverage was because he was boring the reporters. (I was more kind in the delivery. ..but the point was the same.)

He was sending them information that mattered to him. But not to the reporters. It’s not their job to help him sell his wares. It’s their job to engage their audience.

Before you send your next news release, ask yourself why anyone but you would care. If you can answer the question — there’s your lead sentence. If you can’t — think twice before you bore them.

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Is that Paris Hilton jammin’ with a PS3 while calling George W. Bush a fascist?

November 22, 2006

Headline writing used to be an art. A well-crafted headline enticed the reader into your body copy. It was the appetizer, hinting at what was to come and on rare occasion, if it was tasty enough, it could actually satiate an appetite without another word or morsel.

But it seems of late, everything I read is about writing headlines to trick people to visit your blog, even though they have no interest in what you’re actually writing about. Using names of the infamous, "hot" topics and other elements of bait and switch, all for the intent of rankings, rankling, being dugg, ditched and double-dipped. It’s like having a puppet on a string, right? You tug and they jump.

Good short-term gain? Maybe. More clicks? Probably. But at what cost? How about losing the very audience that actually gives a rip about your topic? Or you.

Hype, over-promising or out and out manipulation can’t be hidden forever. People hate being made the fool. Don’t let your headlines, online or off, put them in that position.

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Are you really listening?

November 21, 2006

Innovation is certainly one of the buzzwords of the day. Business leaders are wrestling with how to create a culture that inspires innovation and expecting their R&D team to create the new wonder product. But, it’s not just R&D’s job. Anyone can be innovative.

Patricia Seybold makes this point over and over in her blog Outside Innovation. She contends, and I agree, that our clients/customers will innovate for us, if we let them.

How do you start? I think you start by listening. Really listening. I think your customers are giving you all the clues you need, if you’re tuned in. Want an example? Let’s take a product that’s in the mature phase of its marketing life cycle. Toilet paper. Really, once we got past the one versus two-ply, there hasn’t been a lot of innovation in this product line. Until recently.

You can now buy toilet paper with paw prints on each square. The paw prints lead to a puppy. That’s how the kids know how much toilet paper to use. If you have ever unclogged a toilet because your child used half a roll, you know how brilliant this is.

This was a problem that consumers of toilet paper have complained about for years. It wasn’t enough to make us stop using the product but it was aggravating. And then one day, voila, someone at Cottonelle was listening. And looked at the product in a new light. Hello jump in marketshare.

What are your customers grumbling about? I’m not talking serious complaints, but minor irritants or frustrations. It probably seemed so small that you just dismissed it. Or as in the Cottonelle’s case, it wasn’t really your product’s fault at all. It was really user error.

They didn’t dismiss it. They listened. And now they’re innovators. It’s time for you to follow suit. Pay more attention. Listen more intently. Wonder a little.

Ask yourself…what could you put paw prints on?

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Exceed my expectations, please

November 20, 2006

I was flipping through an old Business 2.0 magazine and an ad for Hampton Inn caught my eye. It wasn’t anything special from a copy or design point of view. So why did I notice it?

Because they surprised me. Along the right side of the ad, they list some of their amenities. A great bed. Check. Free high-speed internet access. Check. Complimentary breakfast. Check. Complimentary breakfast bag. Whoa…back up a second.

Hampton Inn is demonstrating a very important marketing principle. Yesterday’s WOWs become today’s expectations.

Remember when high-speed internet and a free breakfast were innovations in hotel offerings? But today, any hotel without free high-speed doesn’t even get on my short list. It’s a given today. Same with the free breakfast. But many mornings, I am off and running and don’t have time to linger in the hotel long enough to even butter a bagel. I just figure that’s my loss.

But Hampton Inn was paying attention to their guests. They noticed how many of them were up and out. And they created a solution. As they probably did when they first added the internet access and free breakfast, they are now exceeding expectations with the breakfast bag.

Until tomorrow. When yesterday’s WOWs become today’s expectations.

Read a great interview with Colleen Barrett, president of Southwest Airlines about how they strive to exceed expectations. (A search for this article lead me to a great blog Client Service Insights.)

You’re working hard to exceed your clients’ expectations, yes? Let’s assume you’re successful. Repeat it a few times and you are no longer exceeding their expectations. You’ve just set the bar higher.

Here’s the question for us as marketers. Forget what you did yesterday or today. How are you going to exceed your clients’ expectations tomorrow?

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Ease into the week — Wave your Magic Brand Be Gone wand

November 19, 2006

I don’t know about you but Sunday nights are time for me to catch up. On my reading, on my work, on my relationships — all with an eye on Monday morning and knowing that the 180 mph pace is about to resume.

Sundays also seem to be my day for deep thoughts. I thought it might be fun to ease into the week together with a question that is sort of about branding and marketing but also has a personal element to it as well. A chance to get to know each other AND talk shop. Perfect for a Sunday night.

Once a brand becomes part of the consumers’ consciousness, it’s pretty tough to shake. It’s a lot easier to seed a brand than it is to do a 180 degree adjustment to a brand that is already firmly implanted into people’s mindset. So here’s this week’s question:

If you could wave your "Magic Brand Be Gone" wand and erase a bad brand that you don’t think can be repaired or redirected, whose brand would you erase so they could start all over? Oh…and Paris Hilton is off limits, that’s just too easy!

My answer? Reality TV shows. I will say right up front, I think most of it is dreadful. And deserving of the brand it has earned. But, in the midst of the greed, nastiness and gratuitous everything…I think there are a few shows that spotlight the human spirit, like ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Unfortunately, TV producers believe their own brand and see to try to outdo themselves in making the worst, most exploitive reality TV shows possible.

With my wand, I’d wipe out those pre-conceived ideas and let them try again.

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5 tips and tricks to being a better speaker

November 18, 2006

At the Small Business CEO, Steve Rucinski offers his 3 keys to delivering an effective presentation. I don’t disagree with a single one of them…but I’d like to add my top five, to get us to 8.

They say it is the #1 fear of humans…to speak in front of a crowd. But for us sick fools who enjoy it, here’s how to be even better at your craft.

1. Have 45 minutes of material for each 60 minutes on stage. Always leave a little room for questions, stories that just pop into your head and the unknown.

2. Have at least 30 minutes of "back up material" in case none of the items in #1 occur AND out of nervous energy, you zip through your material.

3. Beware of butt fatigue. Allow your audience a break for every 60 minutes you present. But start on time when you bring them back.

4. Always end on time. Meetings planners will love you. Even if the speaker ahead of you took 30 minutes of your time, know how to condense your presentation on the fly without making the audience feel the difference.

5. Realize that you are on stage long before you hit the stage. Mingle ahead of time, chat up the audience and just get comfortable in the room.

I’m sure between Steve and myself, we’ve just scratched the surface. Feel free to jump in….what’s your favorite speaking trick?

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Creativity Tip: Ask, ask, ask

November 17, 2006

In my day job, I have to be creative on demand. As I am sure you can relate…some days, I don’t feel very creative. I can’t wait until the muses arrive. I need to be innovative, original and engaging. Now.

Yikes.

So I collect creativity triggers. Games I can play, ways to twist the common into something fresh and brainwipes…ways to clear my head of all the expected, to make room for new ways of looking something. If you too need this sort of creativity thumping now and then, I’m going to post some creativity tips every once in awhile.

Here’s one that usually serves me well.

Be like a reporter. Query the situation, problem, product that you’re needing to be creative about. Not a who, what, where, how kind of an interview, but more of an in depth character study. Do it out loud if you have to, but really dig in. Ask probing questions. Assume the persona of your interview subject to "feel" the answers. I know it sounds a little silly but you’ll be amazed at the interesting insights. Give it a spin and let me know how it works for you.

P.S. If you want a big bundle of creativity, check out Roger von Oech‘s books, blog and tools. My favorite is his Creative Whack Pack — a deck of cards with creative thinking strategies and tips. You’ll love his stuff!

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