News

Monday, an employee from the local Panera restaurant stopped in and offered to buy the office free lunch to introduce their catering services to us. We all just enjoyed the free salad, sandwiches, chips and cookies.

Here at KMK Media, we do need catering services for our clients when planning for special events, and many of us were unfamiliar with Panera’s choices…until today.

What likely cost Panera relatively little in terms of hard dollars – the food, the rep’s time – will likely turn a profit in increased word-of-mouth and, possibly, a contract for catering from us down the road.

And, the lunch wasn’t accompanied by a 15-minute sales presentation. They brought the food, set it up and left a business card – which only improved our image of the company generally.

What can your company offer to introduce yourself to new clients?  Now’s the time for unique and non-traditional marketing tactics. Be brave, be bold and go forth and sell!

The Centers for Disease Control have been aggressive and on-message in their communications to (and with) the public about swine flu.

Watching their communications unfold the past week or so, I’ve seen myriad crisis communications “best practices” that would help communicators at all levels in nearly any industry or company.

Pete Blackshaw posted an excellent piece yesterday at AdAge.com that presents the “Ten Tips Marketers Can Learn From the CDC’s Response to the Swine Flu Epidemic.”

It has numerous real-world examples that should find their way into any crisis communications plan you have – he spends a good deal of time on how the CDC is using social media sites like Twitter.

And if you haven’t yet updated your crisis communications plan to include social media, you need to do so without delay.

You’ve Tweeted. Update your status page on Facebook religiously. Maybe even gotten an interview through LinkedIn. Fantastic. Most of us are knee-deep into figuring out how social media really can work to our advantage – publicly and professionally.

Certainly social media presents some opportunities, but it also can ruin a reputation or a career through improper use. I’m not talking about the Domino’s YouTube flap – I’m talking about what you are doing in social media.

• Do you use social media just to promote yourself?
• Do you post the same information across all the channels repeatedly?
• Do you just talk and not listen?
• Do you ‘friend’ people you don’t know without introducing yourself just to inflate your “friend” or “follow” numbers?

If you’ve done these things – not all hope is lost. Take a good look at what you’re putting out there (particularly if you are using social media for your business or for networking purposes) then read “The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook.”

I have a friend (a real-world friend) who automatically “de-friends” or “un-follows” someone if his/her posts take up two-thirds or more of their Facebook or Twitter pages. He refers this as “Tweet Hogging,” and you’re guilty of it if you constantly post irrelevant content to ensure they are always at the top of a person’s page. Frankly, he doesn’t have time to sift through endless meaningless quotes and re-posts.

If you are engaged in these media, strive to put out thoughtful content and to spark conversations so you don’t land on his – or anyone else’s – blacklist.

Just returned from Dubuque, where I was honored to be a judge for the District 9 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). There, 7 schools from around the Midwest came to present their plans to combat binge drinking for the Century Council, the “client” in this year’s competition.

Dozens of students spent hundreds of hours putting together the plans and their presentations. We listened to each group, and the other two judges and I unanimously chose the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s plan as the first-place winner. They will head to the national competition in Washington, DC, in June.

The other schools all had something that made me go “wow” in their plans, but UN-L just took their idea and ran with it…their plan was either going to crash and burn or blow our socks off. It did the latter.

Their campaign centered on really smart guerrilla tactics  that showcased binge drinking as a virus that is infecting college campuses across the country. They developed a grungy look for their creative and even launched a microsite – www.Alcofect.com – to accompany their plan. In the end, we really felt that their plan was the most innovative and integrated and had the best chance to educate college kids about the dangers of binge drinking. Here’s a screenshot of their website:

Congratulations to them – and all of the teams – for showing us that the ad industry really does seem to be in good hands once they’re out in the real world.

It’s Earth Day. At least the “official” Earth Day – hopefully every day is Earth Day for you and your business. If it is, Huzzah! If it isn’t, please do NOT advertise yourself as “green” when you are not.

Advertising that your company or products are “green” when in fact they are not is called “Greenwashing.” This practice has grown by, according to some estimates, as much as 79% in the past year, and spawned think tanks and companies whose sole purpose is to call out those stores, brands and products who “greenwash.”

According to researchers, the most common categories that fall victim to greenwashing are baby products, cosmetics and cleaning products. Just because that glass cleaner says “safe and natural” does not make it so.

As a wise frog once said, it ain’t easy bein’ green – so let’s get educated and, please, don’t promote yourself as “green” if you aren’t.

Here are two places to start your disillusionment, er, education:

• Terra Marketing, an environmental marketing firm, produces an annual report about Greenwashing and released the “7 Sins of  Greenwashing” in January.
• EnviroMedia & the University of Oregon created  the Greenwashing Index website that lets users post ads and then rate their “green” claims on a scale of 1 (“authentic”) to 5 (“bogus”).

As I pointed out in earlier blog posts, focusing on value-add activities that benefit your customers’ health and that of their environment can create a stronger brand and save you money. How can your business be more ‘green’… 

Check out this event- IGNITE, Rockford’s young professionals group, is having a Going Green for Dummies event this Wednesday, April 22 from 5:30 pm to 7 pm at the YMCA (4490 E. State St., Rockford). This event will feature Mary Cacioppi presenting, “Are you riding the green wave?” Seats are limited ($5 for members and $10 for non-members) visit rockfordchamber.com to register.

This doesn’t have much to do with advertising and it’s not going to impact your marketing plan but I just had to share. Susan Boyle, in case you haven’t heard of her by now, is a most unlikely singing sensation. When she arrives on-stage at Britian’s Got Talent (the American Idol across the pond), everyone dismisses her. And she knocks their socks off.

The performance has “gone viral” – and here’s why I posted this item.

In FIVE DAYS, the YouTube clip of her performance has garnered  19.2 MILLION hits and more than 100,000 comments…and that’s just the “official” channel posting. 

Hope and happy stories always find their way out and have the opportunity to inspire millions of people; take a minute to enjoy this one. (Note: it seems the YouTube clip is loading slowly, so give it a minute).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY[/youtube]

Does it seem like nearly every conversation you have these days is prefaced with “In this economy…” or that almost every ad is talking about a “stimulus” or “bailout”? It’s a sign of the times.

National advertisers are rolling out campaigns that play upon the recently passed federal stimulus package; the New York Times took a look at them in yesterday’s edition.

Here are just 2 examples:

• Uncle Ben’s has a print ad that reads: “Consider this part of your stimulus package.” The ad included a $1 off coupon. Their website home page even reads: “My gut feeling about what to do during the recession is to eat more rice. Of course, that’s my gut feeling about everything.”

• Gold’s Gym is pushing a “Fitness Stimulus Package” that includes 7 free days and free access to fitness resources.

So how do you “stimulate” your own advertising creative?

• Don’t ignore it. Putting your head in the sand as to the current economic conditions – even if your business is one of the few that hasn’t been effected – makes you seem addled and out of touch. Recognize market conditions in your ad copy.
• Be empathetic. Use words and phrases like “we understand” and “we’re here to help.”
• Don’t low-ball. Just because you understand the trying circumstances of your customers doesn’t mean you should low-ball your pricing. Starbucks, in their haste to keep sales levels from falling off a cliff, introduced a new “instant” coffee. My guess is, a year from now, the Starbucks brand will no longer be associated with upscale quality coffee and be more in line with the quickie coffees offered at convenience stores and fast food joints.
• Remember value. “Value” and “quality” are words consumers are attuned to right now. They’re not going to part with their hard-earned dollars for inferior products or services.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the Burger King commercial which parodies Sir Mix-A-Lot’s novelty rap song, “Baby Got Back.”  Promoting their 99¢ kid’s meal that includes a SpongeBob SquarePants toy, Burger King plays on the SpongeBob’s “square-ness”.

Some are offended saying that the commercial is geared toward children and therefore is too sexual in nature. Burger King argues that they are appealing to the adults/parents who bring their children and ultimately make the buying decision.

The commercial, Burger King states, “is intended to show that even adults can have fun, laugh and be silly with entertainment genres — such as rap and pop culture icons — that have become part of everyday life.”

This may be clever considering that younger generations (specifically Gen X and Y) are having more children – but it may be detrimental, having offended many others…you be the judge:

30-Second Commercial

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gMZ62PsvRM[/youtube]

Entire Video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5X4TSbGreA[/youtube]

Burger King SpongeBob Ad Too Sexual?

Whether it’s health for individuals or health for the planet, healthy is a “hot topic” right now. Every day we read about a health related issues whether related to the economic slump or our environment we are hearing about how unhealthy we are today and how we need to be more “green”.

Health and Value go hand in hand. Many consumers are starting to become more aware of their health and that of their environment. Focusing on how you are helping your community be healthier is a great way to get your customers attention and get them involved.

Earth Day (April 22) is just around the corner, think of something your business can do to be more “green”.

Earth Day Network

10 Ways to Make Your Business Environmentally Friendly

Walgreens Free Care to Jobless

It’s not a surprise that more people are watching the news more carefully in the evenings. These are trying times, and updates on local economic conditions literally hit you in your pocketbook. Local news in particular is delivering strong consumer loyalty and “engagement.”

A new study by Hearst-Argyle by researcher Frank N. Magid Associates showed that 72% of viewers are “engaged” with the ads they see on the local TV newscasts,m and 99% of those surveyed (2,500 people aged 25 to 54) say they’re paying more attention to their local newscasts in recent months. 

Locally, ads that appear on local TV newscasts are some of the most expensive spots you can buy. However, they do seem to touch an “engaged” audience – often a couple of spots on a popular 10 pm newscast will receive more “I saw your commercial” comments than a robust schedule on cable outlets.

But positive comments don’t necessarily translate into sales, so keep that in mind when setting up your schedule.

As a young professional (YP) in Rockford, I was please to get involved with the launch of a new YP group – IGNITE. I recently started working here at KMK Media Group and wanted to start getting involved in the Rockford community.

I would like to start building a network not only with business contacts but social contacts as well. IGNITE gives me the opportunity to build diverse networks and at the same time check out local businesses that were unfamiliar. I have already met quite a few people through IGNITE’s After Five events and I look forward to meeting more people at the Launch Event April 9, 2009.

Now that I am back working in the Rockford Area, I want to get involved and be part of the community. I find that IGNITE has helped me figure out where to start and how to get involved. Everyone is so nice and easy to approach, making it easy and fun to network!

As young professionals, we need to take part in shaping Rockford by becoming leaders in advocacy related to improvements in education, the business environment and urban development. As a member of IGNITE, I have access to exclusive benefits such as invitations to networking events, special discounts and offers from IGNITE sponsors and partners, access to IGNITE blogs, e-newsletters and advice columns and much more.

Get Involved!

It’s time to look at your advertising’s messaging if you’re not already – today it’s all about “value.”

Clearly, national advertisers are all in with the value message. This week’s Ad Age takes five brands that are doing value messaging right and five that are, well, not so much.

Top 5 “Getting it Right”

1. Bounty
2. Hyundai Motors
3. Miller High Life
4. JetBlue
5. XBox

Tips to getting it right:

• Reduce fear by offering assurances to your customers
• broadcast your value vs. your competitors (but make sure it’s a unique value)
• Add incentives or supplemental goods and services to your standard offerings.

Top 5 “Getting It Wrong”

1. De Beers
2. EBay
3. General Motors
4. Stein Mart
5. Wendy’s

Tips for getting it wrong:

• Assume spending patterns have not changed – diamonds are not an investment people are willing to make in such a dramatic downturn.
• Leak plans about ceasing a product line or service before the decision is made – GM’s announcement about Saturn is your cautionary tale.
• Shout “sale” and “value” in a generic way – everyone’s saying that; be sure to single out what makes your value different.

Here are some examples from those who are getting it right:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8M-UM_Lrlw&feature=PlayList&p=7B0FD0E8A85FE23F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=29[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmDiDJ7QrdU&feature=related[/youtube]

Millions of people have lost their jobs over the past year, and with competition growing in the crowded “looking for work” market place, some enterprising people are doing what businesses have done since the beginning of organized commerce – they’re advertising themselves.

Michigan, New Hampshire, California and others all have cable access shows that allow job-seekers to record a 30-second “commercial” about themselves to woo employers who may be tuning in. MSNBC looks at a few of these programs and how they got started.

This is an interesting, but by no means unexpected, job-seeking method in today’s media market place. With YouTube, Facebook – indeed the web in general – people are accustomed to being their own best promoters. They’re comfortable being on-camera, tagged in photos and “friended” by complete strangers.

The benefit to employers is a bit more nebulous, though employers likely find the 30-second ads much more telling of a candidate’s personality and possible culture “fit” versus a printed resume.

It’s certainly not uncommon these days for people in our line of work to have dedicated personal websites where you can view candidates’ experience and portfolios. But I’ve yet to receive an application via YouTube or by flipping on Comcast.

Plus none of the programs profiled in the MSNBC piece seemed to have scored major numbers of placements. When that starts happening, then I think we’ll see the job-hunting game really start to shift. Until then, it’s still a bit of a novelty.

In the spirit of April Fool’s Day, which traditionally has been recognized by media outlets across the world, I give you 3 examples. Enjoy.

1. The London Guardian ran a story today saying that they were ceasing to print its newspaper after 188 years and in its place would broadcast its news exclusively on Twitter.

2. BMW launched a series of print ads touting their new “magnetic tow” capability:

3. Finally, and perhaps the most amusing (which is very un-Microsoft), the company launched the “new” trailer for a new XBox game, Alpine Legend:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUBQknWUEYU[/youtube]