News

What do you do for an online presence if your new national ad campaign centers on getting people offline and into face-to-face conversations? You have the campaign’s micro-site shut down on users after 3 minutes and tell them they need to get off their computers.

Counter-intuitive? Maybe. But with tight content and an eye on the message they’re promoting, that’s exactly what Dentyne is doing with its new “Make Face Time” campaign. The website – www.makefacetime.com – lets you “find face time” by searching for hang-out spots near your current location; “request fact time” by sending a notice to your friends and has a devilish little feature called “Smiley Chamber of Doom” that shows animated emoticons meeting their bitter end.

I tried to see everything in 3 minutes but couldn’t quite get it done. And then I went back to post a link to that Emoticon video – which if you only do one thing on the site, do that – but the site is not letting me in for more fun. So they are serious about shutting down the site to visitors after 3 minutes. (Though you can sit and read about Dentyne’s product line “all day long if you want to” – the time you spend on the product pages does not count towards your 3-minute limit).

Here’s a glimpse of some of the supporting ad creative:

Read the New York Times’ deconstruction of the campaign here.

Mother Tribune in Chicago unveiled some prototypes today of its “new look” brought about because of dramatically lower ad revenues. Bigger graphics, less content, fewer sections, more ads, fewer reporters.

The front section will now contain all international, national and local news. The paper is slimming down to three sections total, with no compensating reduction in price, and a 50/50 ratio of content to ads.

So far, the comments posted on the Crain’s Chicago Business site are not kind.

What do YOU think?

Here’s a peek at the new “look:”

Coke’s still No. 1. Financial firms and Microsoft are slipping…IBM and Google are surging. Interbrand’s annual list of the 100 Top Global Brands (for a complete version of this chart and more information, click here) shows the following 10 brands are still at the top of the heap, brand-wise:

2008 Rank	2007 Rank	Brand	Country of Origin	Sector	2008 Brand Value ($m)	Change in Brand Value
1	1		United States	Beverages	66,667	2%
2	3		United States	Computer Services	59,031	3%
3	2		United States	Computer Software	59,007	1%
4	4		United States	Diversified	53,086	3%
5	5		Finland	Consumer Electronics	35,942	7%
6	6		Japan	Automotive	34,050	6%
7	7		United States	Computer Hardware	31,261	1%
8	8		United States	Restaurants	31,049	6%
9	9		United States	Media	29,251	0%
10	20		United States	Internet Services	25,590	43%

The top brands seem to be the most nimble when it comes to reacting to – and, more importantly, anticipating – consumer demands. The other thing that is remarkable is how solid these top 10 brands are, despite the volatility of our global economies and societies over the past year. A good brand that is maintained and whose integrity remains intact will weather just about any storm.

Interbrand’s Top 100 Brands vs. MCSI World Index & S&P 500 Performance

Regardless of world conditions, people will continue to buy and sell goods and services…how well you survive depends on what you do to maintain your brand in the marketplace and whether or not you anticipate your customers’ needs and provide the goods and services to meet those needs.

For the full report, click here (PDF doc). 

Print ads get the short end of the stick. They’re not hip and flashy.  They don’t have commenting available or mash-up possibilities without a lot of cutting and glue sticking. Plus, they’re in magazines which are, like, so old-school. But in study after study, magazines are shown to have remarkable staying power. So despite the doom and gloom, print ads are here to stay.

Below are some of the best print ads from this past summer as judged by MRI Starch Communications, which specializes in print advertising research. Divided into 12 categories, 694 one- and two-page print ads were researched and scored based on how many people remembered the ad and how many read at least half of it. MRI Starch calls this their “engagement score.”

Here are the top performers in 4 of the 12 categories (click here to see them all on the Ad Age site). You don’t have to be a national advertiser with a two-page Sports Illustrated spread to capitalize on some of these design ideas in your next campaign, either. Take a look and see what you can co-opt for your next masterpiece.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday’s “Black Monday” – brought upon by Lehman, Merrill and AIG’s woes – will have little immediate impact on the advertising ocean. Mid- and long-term, however, the dampening of consumer confidence across the board could be a tsunami headed straight for advertising and media outletsin the weeks and months ahead.

Particularly hard hit by the collapse, buy-out or teetering of these three financial giants will be print publications – the wealthy read more magazines than the rest of us and need the services typically provided by brokerage houses – and the specialized sponsorships they provided for sports events like the Cambridge v. Oxford Varsity Rugby match in England or the Merrill Lynch Shootout (a PGA golf event) slated for December 2008. Read more about the impact of the past couple days of market turmoil here. 

So we’ll start seeing fewer brokerage house commercials and spots for private jet rentals and more airtime for Hamburger Helper and value-affiliated brands like K-Mart and Wal-Mart. But don’t fret for Tiffany’s and Coach just yet – luxury brands already have turned their eyes towards Russia in hopes of recouping some losses in that oil-flush country, according to Advertising Age.

Some public relations folks also are calling on these three companies to do more than just close or shore up their balance sheets – they want them to “talk” to the American public to reassure them of the country’s economic fundamentals. While I’ll leave the parsing of language and politics to those out on the stump, this piece does merit some consideration.

At what  point is a company responsible to the country in which its based? Do they have a duty to their shareholders as well as the American people? Can they alone change the mood of a country or does it take more than that? I dunno, but we all have front-row seats as it works itself out.

Google launched a new Web browser named Chrome a few weeks ago. On their Web site they are promoting it as a new era in web browsing, “Chrome has been designed from the ground up with a more streamlined, efficient, and security conscious architecture designed to meet the needs of modern internet users and to present modern Web 2.0 sites as efficiently as possible”. As a marketing professional, I interpret this as Google’s plan to allow us to buy ads within almost any electronic application or media. Let me explain…

To understand the DNA of a company you have to follow its revenue stream. Although Google has an exhaustive product and service line, they are essentially an advertising company. Advertising is how Google makes the money to finance acquisitions of other companies and its own large-scale developments resulting in releases like Chrome.  And so my logic goes, since Google is an advertising company, everything it does will sooner or later be integrated into its advertising business. And that is why Chrome is primarally an attempt by Google to serve you better targeted and more personalized ads, at the same time preventing you from blocking them. And the secondary goal, which of course the publically communicated goal, is to make your internet experience shinier and more flexible.

As, crises. Troubles. Discord. These are perhaps the most telling ways to know of what a corporation is truly made, and General Motors seems to be showing its true colors lately.

During a crisis, companies usually go one of two ways. Rumors and problems are addressed honestly and immediately. Or executives hold out in tortuous silence until a slick PR firm tells them they need to say something, anything. Well, if you’re GM, one of the largest corporations in the world with your share of problems, you do both until you realize neither situation is tenable. You hide for a while but when you finally realize silence is probably the worst PR move there could be. So you birth for the world a microsite. World, meet www.GMFactsandFiction.com. GM, meet the world.

Publicly unveiled last Friday but live for about 2 weeks, this site offers answers on “myths” like “GM is NOT seeking a government bailout”  and “GM cars are not as fuel efficient as comparable imports.” It was launched on the eve of government hearings about bailouts for the auto industry.

Good in theory but I’m not sure it’ll work in practice to change people’s minds. Among other problems:

• There are no comment functions, with feedback being limited to people having the opportunity to submit a question into the GM cyberspace. Then what? We’re supposed to breathlessly check back every day to see if maybe, just maybe, They posted an answer??

• There’s no “about us” or source information provided, leading me to question the site’s authenticity and veracity.

• Each statement/question starts as a negative. I know they wanted to keep it “honest,” but starting with a negative just reinforces stereotypes. Some negatives are OK to show you’re really trying to combat the myths, but every single one?

• Answers are short and unsatisfying. They don’t even include links to other information in case there’s an issue about which I want to know more, leaving their spin to the mercy of what I find to supplement it on Google.

Just some random thoughts. Will it work? I doubt it. Visit the site and tell me what you think.

Mac vs. PC, meet the Commercial About Nothing.

In its latest bid to get “hip to the kids” and to blunt the incredible pop buzz surrounding Mac’s clever “Hi. I’m a Mac.” “And I’m a PC.” ad campaign, Microsoft has put forth this new campaign with Jerry Seinfeld:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/IiVMPgCf6YY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

What?!? I know Jerry has tremendous name-recognition and there are some funny points – check out Bill’s club card picture – but I don’t get it. I don’t see how this furthers the Microsoft brand except to show how un-hip they really are. I mean, really, is the college crowd going to get jazzed about seeing a comedian their parents like chomping on a churro?

In comparison, try these:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/GQb_Q8WRL_g" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/X4FF_aT_mE8" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/ci2D1ig4df4" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Now those are some clever spots that allow folks to have fun with them in the viral world of sharing original video – soo many funny parodies – but also further the brand promise of Mac on myriad levels.

What do you think?

One of our favorite reference sites is MediaPost.com for industry news and events.  But with their upcoming bi-annual conference and trade show in New York this month, they have given us so much more: ideas.

The latest from Media Post and the big event for the business of Online Media, Marketing and Advertising (OMMA), is that they are asking for readers’ votes for the first annual Member’s Voice Awards. 

 OMMA has created a beautiful interactive view of each of the nominees who are the tops in our industry in order for readers to cast their votes, found at http://www.mediapost.com/ommaawards/ .  This is a fantastic way to view the best and brightest for new ideas and help in generating creative ingenuity that you could integrate into your next design session. It is a comprehensive and easily-maneuvered list of online advertising creativity, integrated online campaigns and web site excellence and also lets you put in your two cents if you see something you like.  I think they say it best, stating “The online medium is the most fertile canvas for innovation and creativity, and the OMMA Awards salute the stars that shine brilliantly among us.”One of my favorites from the list is Renaissance Hotels new integrated web site  http://www.revealrenaissance.com/ complete with music, video, user generated content and beautiful images it is definitely inspiring!

As it is the season for awards, another site to keep in mind is the Web Marketing Association whose  Web Award winners are to be announced September 16^th at http://www.webaward.org/ . 

Branding is a buzzword that frankly is a bit like some of the political polemics we’ve been hearing the last couple weeks – there’s lots of “red meat” but what how does it really affect me or my business? And if you as a manager or owner don’t communicate your brand promise internally, how can your employees know how to help you achieve your branding goals?

In the briefest of descriptions, branding is the act of creating an image of quality around the particular product or service you provide, thus ensuring quality experiences for customers who will come to expect that same level of quality in the future. In earlier, simpler times, branding would have been described simply as good business – people like your products, your company, your service and become repeat customers.

Employees are not only the lifeblood of your business but also perhaps the most underutilized – but potentially most effective – asset in conveying your brand to your audiences.

As an internal communications refugee, I can attest to what good internal comms can do to move an organization forward. More importantly, I’ve seen what poor internal communications can do to decay an organization from the inside.

I’ve also seen  employees who feel good about being part of the team generally become a de facto advertising channels for your business. Here’s how you can help that process along:

1. Create a culture of communication. The best internal communications are self-sustaining, not top-down. How can you as a manager encourage cross-team communication? They know from customer experience; cultivate and be open to their ideas and suggestions.

2. Educate them. Show employees  how they can become part of the company’s success and they’re likely more than willing to meet you halfway. Rising water raises all ships.

3. Invest heavily in customer service. Give your front-line people the tools they need to make decisions. Let them know what’s happening with your advertising and give them updates on industry trends. Empower them to make decisions that ensure a superior customer experience. Little can do more damage to a good brand than poor front-line customer service.

4. Employees aren’t human billboards. They’re not there to simply further your marketing or branding message. But give them the tools they need to do their jobs well, respect their contributions, and they will respond positively by carrying your message out into their communities.

Want more? See Ad Age’s recent piece about how Zappos.com employees have become brand ambassadors here.

Despite high gas prices and general economic malaise, consumers are still spending money…but trading down to dollar stores and one-stop-shops like WalMart that are closer to their homes or offices. The biggest loser? Home improvement and home furnishing stores.

TNS Retail Forward’s survey shows a trickle-down thing but not in the way some economic theorists expect – shoppers that traditionally shopped at department stores are moving to discount retailers, and discount retailers are losing their traditional customers to dollar stores.

One of the most salient parts of the research shows that consumers (75% of them) are making a concerted effort to plan their errands to conserve as much gas as possible. Other results from the report:

So, what’s a local business to do?

1. Partner with neighboring businesses. Saving on gas is making those “lifestyle centers” and downtown shopping districts a whole lot more attractive – park once and get all your shopping done in one location. Organize a sidewalk sale or cross-promote with your neighbor; chances are, people will be drawn in with the promise of saving a few bucks on gas.

2. Offer to rebate a customer’s gas bill. If you’re in a particularly far-flung location, a gas incentive might just be the ticket…provided customers make a minimum purchase.

3. Make sure your website has pricing information and displays sales details prominently. More consumers are doing online research instead of driving from store to store.

4. Highlight any “private label” brands you may offer. Consumers are now more than willing to try store brands to save a few bucks over name brands.

5.  Recognize a shifting demographic in your store. You may be losing regular customers to lower-priced rivals but gaining others that shopped more upscale businesses. Capitalize on these new customers and don’t let them go. Capture their contact information to grow your database.

6. Make sure your customers feel appreciated and informed. Don’t let up on customer service just because you’re down in the dumps about the economy. New customers will turn into repeat customers if you provide a quality product at a fair price and with good service.

We’re all struggling at the moment – believe me, with a husband who drives back and forth to Hoffman Estates every day, I know from high gas prices – but we’re all in this together. As the inimitable Jerry Springer says, “Take care of yourself…and each other.”