I’m all for being fresh and innovative in your creative approach. And when you sell something like vasectomies, you are no doubt even more challenged.
So I’m intrigued to get your opinion about a local clinic’s latest advertising message.
Here in Iowa, the Iowa Clinics is, according to their own website, “the largest physician owned multi-specialty group in Central Iowa with more than 140 physicians and healthcare providers practicing in 37 specialties. The Iowa Clinic serves a population area of 1.1 million, averaging 400,000 patient visits each year.”
So a large practice with many top rated physicians. They’re regular advertisers and like many healthcare providers, their marketing tends to be about what you’d expect. But not their most recent TV spots.
To paraphrase their entire spot — when you get a vasectomy, you have to take a few days off, sit on the couch and recuperate. So why not time your vasectomy so you can enjoy March Madness?
What do you think? Good idea? Will it move people from the thinking about it stage to taking action? Bad idea? Is it tacky to tie a medical procedure to watching a sporting event?
I can’t wait to get your take — so please jump into the conversation in the comments section.
Note: As I discovered, this is clearly not a new approach. Here are some other articles about the combining of the two:
Here’s what I am pondering today. In terms of connecting with a consumer’s emotions, what works better — pointing to the future or the past?
I’m 48 (albeit a 10 year old boy trapped in man’s body) which puts me a little behind the line in terms of baby boomers and a little ahead of the curve for Gen X. But I’ve noticed over the past several years that many advertisers are reaching back into my childhood for inspiration.
The music of my youth, classic toys like slinkys and key moments in my life’s history seem to crop up in TV spots, print ads and headline references.
On the flip side, many advertisements promise us a better future, thanks to their product or service. From the his and her outdoor tubs thanks to Cialis or the joy of an engagement accepted via Kay’s Jewelers — we do love the pictures they paint.
Do we react more strongly to memories of days gone by or the promises of days not yet experienced? And which makes us pull out our wallets?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic. Which do you react to more strongly?
I got thinking about this idea after reading Harry Beckwith’s most recent post over at Psychology Today. (read it here) about progress. I began to wonder if it was the emotion of the future’s promise or the actual realization that mattered most to us.
Speaking of Harry — I have 2 copies of his new book Unthinking that I highly recommended last week to give away. I’ll do a random drawing among the comments on this post… so don’t be shy, weigh in.
The past or the future — which one drives right to the wallet and why?
The whole world is abuzz about Groupon. And who doesn't love $10 worth of Cold Stone Creamery ice cream for $5? But is Groupon right for your business?
Groupon and other social-coupon sites (like LivingSocial and SocialBuy) all work the same way — a specified number of people have to pre-purchase the coupon for the deal to be activated. In theory, that's how everyone wins. Groupon makes a prescribed amount, the buyers get a super deal and the retailer gets a guaranteed influx of cash and in theory, new customers.
But…is it right for you? Here are the big pros and cons, as I see them.
Pro:
Big advertising boost. Groupon subscribers number in the tens of thousands or more in most cities. This is a very efficient way to generate a significant word of mouth buzz, especially if you get creative in your offer.
Exposure to many new customers. It stands to reason that you're going to see a lot of new people coming through the door. Impress them and hopefully they'll come back again and pay full price.
A way to test a new product or service. Want to know if the market is interested in something new? If the Groupon coupon tips — you might well have a winner!
Con:
Does the math work? Keep in mind that Groupon takes a pretty good sized cut. Half the rate charged plus 2.5% interest per transaction. (Here's a Groupon ROI calculator you can use). So depending on your cost of goods and how many people actually redeem the coupon, you could lose your shirt like Posie's Cafe.
What does it do to your customer/vendor/employee experience? Can your business handle a huge influx of buyers? How will the increased traffic impact your loyal customers? Your vendors? Your employees? Be sure you take all of that into account before you sign up.
What does it say about your brand? Do you want to be seen as a deep discounter? Does offering a 50% off price say something about your quality, margin or pricing strategy? How will your regulars feel about the fact that they've been paying full price all this time?
Lots of opinions out there but really, it's something you need to examine for your specific business. Use the ROI calculator, weigh the pros and cons… and make the call.
Saw this on a recent layover at O'Hare airpot in Chicago. They were on the escalator handrails going up/down into the tunnel that connects the B and C concourse.
(Yes, I risked my life by not holding onto the handrails to take these pictures for you!)
In many ways — pretty smart placement on Hampton Inn's part. Talking to travelers in a very unexpected place and way.
We are creatures of habit. Even as marketing professionals who are supposed to be creative, innovative and "out of the box" thinkers. There are some SOP (standard operating procedures) that are tied to most aspects of marketing.
You'll recognize some of these… (By the way…not saying I agree with these)
B to B advertisers should choose talk radio over top 40 stations
Non profits should sent out an appeal letter between Thanksgiving and December 5th
You have to drive traffic back to your own website
You should focus on the value proposition in your marketing
But, we're not the only ones who know these golden oldies. Our audiences do to. And so do our competitors. Which often makes it a snore.
Sometimes if you can find the courage (and sell it internally) — taking a different direction and zagging when you should zig gives your effort a freshness and element of surprise that can be very influential and action inspiring.
Take this video by American Express. They're trying to get consumers to join their cause marketing effort called Take Part. The campaign is encouraging people to donate their time and/or dollars to charities. They can also vote to decide which charities win financial support from Amex.
Now…conventional wisdom would be to do a campaign that touched the hearts of the audience. Inspire them to action. Nothing wrong with that approach but a bit expected. Which is why I love what they did instead. Take a look. (email subscribers, click here to view the video)
By using a very trendy celebrity who plays a character we really don't want to be anything like (but find funny), AMEX was able to make their point in a very fresh way. It's the polar opposite of the PSA featuring the Indian who is so dismayed by litter than he sheds a tear (from the 70s).
You probably bust a hump (and a decent budget) getting your prospects to notice you.
You study the demographics and know who your target market is. You are an expert in your industry. Your product/service is exceptional. Your marketing materials are professionally produced and tested well with the focus groups.
You got all of the big things right.
And you still may have it wrong.
So often, it's not about the big things. It's about the details. The tiny little thing that becomes the deal breaker or the deal maker.
Let me give you an example. My daughter is a high school senior and due to a lot of hard work on her part, a very successful student. As a result, she's being aggressively pursued by many colleges.
The mailbox is bulging every day with stunning four color brochures. She is receiving letters inviting her to bypass the regular application process and guarantees of academic scholarships of significance.
No argument — all of these things are the right things. But she isn't noticing.
What's she's noticing is that one school seems to hold her in even higher esteem. Because they send handwritten notes. They take the time to attach a personal message on the drama page of their brochure because she's a drama kid. They send postcards telling her what's happening on campus that she might enjoy.
We toss around words like authentic and transparent. But you know what — it's a lot easier to talk about than it is to actually do. It takes a lot of time to get the little things right. And you have to be able to sustain it.
So here's the question — what little thing could you do that they would notice? And do you want their business badly enough to commit to doing it?
So we started talking about customer surveys and how most often, companies default to the standard questions. Satisfaction levels, rate this or that on a scale of 1-5. John pulled out a hotel survey where they literally had 3 questions on the shower head (seriously — the dispersion of the water?).
We either ask questions that are too vague and nebulous or we drill down to the wrong details. We then got into the intriguing idea of building your survey around the goal of changing a specific behavior.
For example, Whirlpool recognized that when people went to buy big appliances, they often went to a big box store (Home Depot, Lowes etc.) and that those salespeople were often influenced by whatever manufacturer spiff (a monetary reward for selling a specific brand or item) happened to be in play. So Whirlpool wanted to encourage their prospective buyers to overrule a salesperson's recommendation, if it wasn't a Whirlpool product
When they started designing their survey around these types of very specific (not buy more Whirlpool) prescribed behaviors, they had an element that was real and measurable. They also had a very tangible goal. Now they could get very strategic in thinking through how to move that specific needle.
Interestingly, in the end, the strategy they came up with is that they used marketing dollars to put Whirlpool salespeople on the big box store floors. They found that most people didn't feel knowledgeable enough to override the influential salesperson. So they brought in their own. Whirlpool execs admitted they wouldn't have considered that as an option, if it weren't for the focus in the research.
So here are a few questions for you to chew on today:
What very specific, measurable behavior (not buy more, recommend me more etc) do you want your prospects to engage in?
What types of survey questions could you ask to measure that?
What marketing strategy could you employ to influence that behavior?
Note: I'm at this event as an invited guest because they thought I'd find the topics of interest and relevant to you. While I'm under no obligation to write a single word, if the rest of the speakers are as thought provoking, you'll hear more about it! Stay tuned.
I believe that every business has a responsibility to give back. No matter where you practice your trade — there's a community that makes it possible. To not share your time, talents and treasures is irresponsible and short-sighted.
I honestly think most companies share that belief and serve their communities well.
At MMG, that's why we started the Adopt a Charity program several years ago. We also make cash donations, serve on boards and volunteer for the charities that matter to us.
That's not just because we're good people. It's because it's smart business. And here's the part of the message that makes people uncomfortable.
There's nothing wrong with a business benefiting from the good they do. In fact…every charitable dollar you spend is actually a marketing dollar.
You wouldn't buy equipment that didn't help your business grow or spend money on computer software that didn't serve your clients better. So why should your charitable gifts be any different?
Every dollar or hour you donate is a business asset. So spend them wisely. If you're feeling charitable, make sure you get the maximum bang for each buck. Here are some strategies to keep in mind.
It's better to give big to a few: Don't get caught up in the "but we don't want to say no to anyone" trap. If you give a little bit to everyone, you end up being one of 42 logos on the back of a 5K run t-shirt.
It's far better to be the presenting sponsor or one of an elite group of sponsors. You'll get a lot more exposure and you're giving enough money to actually make a difference. Writing 100 checks for $25 is a waste of your efforts and isn't really impacting any of the non profits you support.
You won't get what you don't ask for: When you're donating your money or your talents, don't be shy. Ask for the recognition that will benefit your business.
Want your logo on the greens at the charity golf tournament — ask for it. Want to have your efforts recognized at the next board meeting — ask for it. Want the celebrity host at the auction to appear at a private client only cocktail party before the event — ask for it.
Think about how you can leverage your donation. What will cost the non-profit very little but provide your business with a boost?
Be creative in the perks: There won't always be an opportunity to have your logo plastered on an event or get naming rights. After all, you might not have $25K to donate. Even if your charitable gifts are modest — you can still enjoy some marketing benefit.
An introduction to an influential board member, a thank you from the podium, or four tickets to the fancy dinner/dance (two for you and two for your best client). Don't think that only the big donations can garner a return on that investment.
Everyone of us should give back. It's part of being a good neighbor, a good business and a good corporate citizen. But, there's no reason it can't be a win/win situation!
One of the uncomfortable truths about the last few years is that we're not going back to the old normal. Perhaps it is a manifestation of the thought that Oliver Wendell Holmes expressed when he said:
"One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions."
But…like our minds, our experiences and our expectations can't regain their original form, once they've been stretched (good or bad). And boy, have the last few years stretched all of us!
Other factors have taken their toll as well. Look at how our lives are different, simply because of the presence of:
the internet
mobile technology/phones
the expectation of on demand products and services (Netflix on your Wii for example)
When I say to someone….imagine for a minute that you didn't have a cell phone — they are instantly thrown into a panic state (in varying degrees) at the image. I can remember walking through an airport (20 years ago) and seeing a guy on a huge cell phone. At the time, I couldn't fathom why anyone would need or want one. Now…like most of us, I very rarely have it further than an arm's reach away.
We get it when we're the consumer. Life has changed, our consumption has changed and we aren't going back. But….have your business model and practices made the same shift?
As you know…the Age of Conversation series donates all of the proceeds to charity. The first two books benefited Variety, the Children's Charity. But this year, we wanted to partner with a new organization.
We polled the authors and Make-A-Wish was the first choice. So I reached out to them, to invite them to be the recipient of our efforts. Keep in mind that books I and II generated well over $20,000. So we're not talking chump change here.
The folks at MAW were very nice, quick to respond and connect. But when I explained what we wanted to do — their business model got in the way. We had to be willing to guarantee that each and every author would reference MAW in a certain way and only use their approved language on any blog post, tweet, Facebook update etc.
We can barely get everyone to turn in their chapters, so we knew there was no way we could make that promise. MAW stood firm and walked away from the opportunity.
In today's world — that business model is broken. I am the first to advocate for managing your brand. But you cannot control every voice and you cannot regulate every potential evangelist.
Our second choice was UNICEF. Through a personal contact (thanks LinkedIn) I was able to get to one of their big dogs on the charitable gifts side. She passed me onto someone in her department, who literally ignored my calls for almost a month. I even called and spoke to his admin assistant to get his e-mail address. But he couldn't be bothered…and UNICEF lost the opportunity.
In today's world — that business model is broken. Gone are the days when you can take your sweet time to return a call or ignore a potential customer. We don't tolerate long waits anymore. We just move on. But…as we move on, we typically share the story (as I am) about the disappointing behavior.
Our third choice was charity: water. Through a contact Andy Sernovitz (thanks word of mouth), we connected with Director of Digital Engagement Paul Young. In two quick e-mails….we were on board and charity: water will benefit from the worldwide effort.
charity: water understood the crowdsourcing model we use for creating the books. They have an attitude of "assume everyone is good and will do good if you invite them" rather than the old, protectionism model of the past. They also understood that in today's world, business is conducted in minutes, not days.
As a result — with your help, we're going to make sure many children around the globe has clean water to drink.
How about you and your business? Have you changed with the times? Do you embrace today's expectations, possibilities and new fangled ways of doing things? Or are you still behaving as though the past 10 years never happened?
For the last decade, marketers have been talking about customization.
We've acknowledged that the Baby Boomers had both the personality and disposable income to generate enough market pressure that companies big and small started adding options and choices to their offerings.
Often, the options were window dressing. Sprinkles versus nuts. Companies were trying to meet the demand without going out of business.
The challenge in the early days was finding enough customers to make the customization profitable. Somehow, you had to have enough demand for each version so you could still apply some principles of mass production to manage costs.
But today…the mass adoption of the web has answered that question. How do you find enough customers? Go online, of course.
"Zazzle, CafePress and Scrapblog, a site that lets people create and print digital scrapbooks, have each reported 80 percent increases in sales this holiday season compared with last year. Orders at Spreadshirt, where people can customize shirts, bags, umbrellas and even underwear, have doubled. At Blurb, where people create their own photo or art books, sales are up 43 percent.
Meanwhile, overall e-commerce sales have grown only 4 percent this season, according to comScore, and offline retail sales have barely grown at all."
And now…even your beef jerky can be built to order. New Jersey's Slant Shack's jerky offers customers numerous choices.
Traditional USDA choice or organic grass-fed beef?
An original or a “hot & smoky” marinade?
A rub of four tantalizing options or the “naked” approach.
Why am I telling you all this? Because it matters to your business, whether you are a CPA firm or a bakery. The Boomers created the demand. But today's digital natives have grown up surrounded by it. They don't know anything else.
So you can't go the sprinkles versus nuts routine. You need to actually offer real choices that matter to your consumers. Cookie cutter won't cut it anymore.
The good news is…you can build customization into many aspects of your business:
Your products or services
Delivery speeds/methods
Packaging
Billing options
So….how are you going to give your customers real choices that matter to them, feel significant but don't break your business model?
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