Strategy Archives - Page 32 of 53 - McLellan Marketing Group

Free Audio Series: Extreme Leadership

November 3, 2007

I read a lot. So for me to say someone is one of the best business authors I've ever read…means they have gone against some serious contenders. And Steve Farber is without a doubt, one of the best.

His books Radical Leap and Radical Edge should be required reading for every business leader. The work world would be a much better place.

Steve's making a very generous offer. In celebration of being featured on MSNBC, CNN, CNBC and Public Television this weekend, he's giving away his audio series, Extreme Leadership: In Pursuit of the OS!M.

We're talking 3+ hours of leadership inspiration and wisdom. Free.

I can't imagine this offer will go on forever…so get on it now. Really. Now.

Does Disney really care if your kids are fat?

October 30, 2007

I don’t need to tell you how pro-Disney I am. I love the brand, I love the culture, I love the actual experience. It is where I go to re-charge and relax. It is, in my mind, my place.

So it pains me to call bull#&*@^ on Disney. But I’ve got to.

Thanks to a post on Marketing Profs Daily Fix (by Ted Mininni) and a follow up from Cam Beck at ChaosScenario, I learned about an article on CNN/Money.com.

It reported that Disney has pledged their efforts to fight childhood obesity by launching a new line of products called Disney Garden that will include Mickey-shaped snack trays with combinations of celery, peanut butter and raisins or apples, cheese and crackers and others. Other items include sugar snap peas, honey orange carrot coins, cheesy broccoli bites and miniature apples, peaches, pears, plums and oranges.

Disney was one of a dozen companies that made a pledge before an FTC hearing in July that put more pressure on the companies to help curb the growing child obesity problem through more responsible marketing.

So Disney must be committed to eradicating childhood obesity, right?

I don’t really think so. I’m sure they recognize its a problem. And they certainly don’t want to purposefully fatten up your kids.

But Disney Garden is brand extension, not social responsibility.

Let’s face it, Disney is all about being family friendly. They want to create brand loyalty among family decision-makers. Where better than the grocery store? And who better to cozy up to than Mom? What is one of the hottest topics among parents today? Childhood obesity.

Here’s the pesky part of this new breed of marketing. For it to be authentic and embraced by your consumers, there can’t be any "holes" in the story. You have to be able to prove that you are walking your talk.

In this case, here are some of the holes I might reluctantly poke into Disney’s pledge against obesity (childhood or otherwise):

Disney has granted the exclusive privilege of a presence inside their parks to McDonalds and their french fry wagons. So much for their break from Mickey D’s. The only thing those wagons sell — fries, sodas and bottled water.

Disney owned ABC Network still accepts and runs plenty of commercials for Doritos, sugar-laden cereal and other junk foods. And they run plenty of them during Saturday morning cartoons and Hannah Montana reruns.

I just visited Disney’s website for Kids Island and watched a cool web ad for Cheetos.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think Disney is out to fatten up our kids. And I know they are doing some things to offer healthy alternatives, like offering carrots instead of fries. But to lay claim to a position as the industry leader out fighting obesity seems a stretch.

Today’s marketing needs to be very wary of hype. And this feels a wee bit hyped to me. What do you think?

Is there an ROI for being customer focused?

October 30, 2007

Thanks to a post on The Engaging Brand I read about study done by Peer Insight.

They did a three year study of 40 Fortune 500 companies – and the results clearly make a case for the ROI a company can realize by focusing on being purposeful about the customer experience.

The study showed that companies that focused upon customer experience design outperformed the S&P 500 by a 10-1 margin. While I think that’s a very nice argument for crafting the customer experience, I think it is only one way to measure the value.

Here are some other valuations you need to consider:

~ Employee retention. (Use this calculator if you have a strong stomach.)
~ Customer retention. Multiply your new customer acquisition costs times 5.
~ Loss of word of mouth. The best marketing tool around. And you don’t have any.
~ Fewer surprises. When you’ve planned the customer experience, you can anticipate problems before they sneak up on you.

And that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. What other benefits/ROI are there for purposefully designing the customer experience?

Are you giving your marketing tactics enough time?

October 26, 2007

You till the ground until it is ready for the seed.
You enrich the ground with nutrient-rich manure.
You carefully pick out just the right seed, perfectly suited for the time of year and climate in your state.
You plant the seed, covering it with the rich soil.
You water the seed, making sure it has everything it needs to grow.
You check the garden the next day. Nothing has broken ground.
You water again, hoping to see a sprout of growth.
You check the garden the following day. Still nothing.
Following the expert advice on the HGTV channel, you lightly water again.
You check the garden again the next day. Nothing.
You figure you did something wrong, so you dig up the seed, 2 days before it would have broken ground.

Crazy, right? Who the heck would go to all that work and then not give the seed the time it needed to grow?

Look in the mirror my friend. Marketers are guilty of this every day.

One of the core tenants of marketing is patience. Long after we are sick and tired of an ad campaign, marketing tactic or tagline — our audience is just beginning to notice it.

How do you know if you’ve given the seed time to break ground?

Related posts:
~ Create a stack of impressions
~ Close your eyes and say no

If you were Apple, how would you respond to iCrime news?

October 22, 2007

I was watching the local news the other day when a sound byte caught my attention. "iPods linked to crime wave." So being a man of the new millennium, I DVR’d it.

Here’s the scoop.

Violent crime in the US increased in 2005 and 2006 for the first time in 14 years. Homicides and robberies are up, while other violent crimes are down.

"At the same time that violent crime rates began to rise, America’s streets filled with millions of people visibly wearing, and being distracted by, expensive electronic gear," explained the authors of the Is there an iCrime wave? report.

According to the report, there are four reasons why iPods are playing a key role in the iCrime wave:

iPods contain almost no easily accessible anti-theft protection
Unlike mobile phones, there is no subscription associated with iPods
iPods are high-status items and may be stolen for their status or to be resold
Since iPods plug into both ears (unlike a cell phone’s one ear occupation) iPod users may be less aware of their surroundings than users of other consumer products

Here’s my question for us in the marketing world: If you were the CMO of Apple and heard about this report/news story — what would you do or not do?

Are you deadline driven? Good.

October 20, 2007

People moan and groan about deadlines and the pressure that comes with them. But, that’s exactly why we should love them.

Here are some of the benefits of deadlines.

We get things done: If there’s no deadline, there’s no incentive to actually complete the task. You can stay in testing mode forever.

We don’t over-think: Over-thinking leads to the homogenizing of an idea. The more time a group (especially) has to think about an idea, project or action – they more they can worry it to non-existence. Sometimes, you just have to leap off the cliff.

People have to overcome their issues: Teams inherently have conflict. A deadline forces each teammate to determine which conflicts are actually worthy of addressing and which ones they just need to put aside to get the job done.

Things keep simmering: When I know I have a deadline looming, even when I am not actively working on the project, it’s simmering on a back burner Ideas bubble up to my consciousness and when I do sit down to get it done, I’m already halfway there.

What do you think? Are deadlines good or bad? How do they help or hurt your efforts?

Serve a steady stream of snack-sized messages

October 18, 2007

Ever hear those radio spots where the poor on-air talent is talking so fast it sounds as if they didn’t take a breath for the entire :60 seconds?

That’s an example of the "shove it all in" thinking.

Many business owners believe that they have to cram all the facts, figures and information into every single ad, sign, brochure and web page. They are in a panic, imagining that they might never have another chance to tell their story.

Of course, when they create marketing tools that are over-packed, that’s exactly what happens. The audience turns a deaf ear.

When you think about creating a marketing piece — think bite-sized snacks. One piece, one message.

Have you ever over indulged on Thanksgiving and when you finally pushed away from the table, you felt like you might burst? Contrast that with how you feel when you eat several mini-meals throughout a day.

Your marketing tools should be like mini-meals. Tasty treats that your audience will look forward to because they are not too filling and were created to delight the consumer.

Mason Hipp of SmallFuel Marketing, gets this concept in spades. His excellent series, Small Business Marketing 101 breaks down his counsel into 9 bite-sized posts. Could he have written one mammoth white paper? Sure…but his readers would have felt bloated and saturated.

Be a smart marketer. Don’t drive your audience away by drowning them in details. Give them plenty of time and space to slowly absorb your message. One bite at a time.

UPDATE: Got this note via e-mail:

From a 20 year radio guy- THANK YOU!!

I loved your example of trying to get too much in a radio commercial.

The main reason radio’s getting bad press is our own dumb moves. People as a whole are still satisfied with radio’s delivery quality- and the dirty little secret is they’re also satisfied with hearing their FAVORITE songs (look at most people’s iPod most played lists).

Three things to remember when you write a marketing plan

October 18, 2007

Last week we explored how to set a marketing budget and in that post, I emphasized that every marketing budget should be tied to a measurable marketing plan. So it makes sense that we should talk a little about some key do’s and don’t’s in creating your marketing plan.

Do less, but do it better: Most business owners make the mistake of being too ambitious with their marketing efforts. Which results in starting many things, but never doing them consistently and well.

You’re much better off to do fewer things but do them more often and better.

Balance your audiences: It’s a natural urge to invest all of your marketing resources on getting new clients. But, that’s shortsighted. The two most important audiences are your employees and your current customers. Be sure your marketing plan gives them enough attention.

At least half your budget and effort should be aimed at these two critical groups of people.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket: One of your goals should be to deliver a business’ key messages through a variety of mediums. No matter how much you believe in word of mouth, direct mail, e-newsletters or an interactive website – don’t land on any one medium.

Stack up impressions by varying the media that carries your message.

What do’s and don’t’s would you add to this list?

Thinking of using a globe in your logo?

October 14, 2007

I was standing in Office Depot this weekend and noticed their "let us design your logo" display. And there they were. The painfully trite visuals that business owners seem to be drawn to when designing their own logo.

You know the ones — globes, shaking hands, the outline of your state, or the very popular paw print (you pick the animal of choice).

If you want your business to be perceived as unique — don’t use the same, tired visuals that everyone else has already used. A logo does not have to be a literal translation of your business’ name or deliverable.

Think beyond the expected. Think abstract. Think about building a brand by being fresh and different.

Think anything but a globe.

Dr. Marketer?

October 13, 2007

Sometimes, we get so caught up in discussing tactics or crunching numbers that we forget we’re in the human behavior business. At the very root of marketing is this reality:

Our job is to get people to do something. Believe something. Care about something. Our job is to affect human behavior. And to affect it, we must understand it.

I’m not saying we all need to run out and get our doctorate in psychiatry. But I am suggesting we’d better be avid students.

On any given day, a marketing professional might have to:

Understand what motivates a 33 year old suburban mom
Talk a client down from the figurative ledge because their boss is demanding instant results
Ask questions that get people to think in a new way
Write in a way that’s native and comforting to a person facing their death
Motivate employees to do superior work for a client who nitpicks and changes direction mid-stream
Take a furious customer from screaming to calm and feeling heard
Guide a group discussion to help a client unearth an uncomfortable truth about their company’s service
Figure out how and why three 19 year olds react completely differently to a new product
And so much more

I don’t believe a person can be successful in marketing if they don’t understand and care about how people tick.

Of course, the couch is optional.

What do you think? Am I placing too much importance on this aspect of marketing?

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