All You Need Is A Good Idea!

Just Spell My Name Correctly

Paul Simister runs a small business coaching company based in the UK. He often writes about business books, and says he has read many of them; some great, some good and some that should never have been printed.

I am telling you all this because he has posted that he is soon going to review my book, All You Need Is A Good Idea! He warns me, on his blog, (yes, me, specifically), that he is a tough reviewer.

Now, I must admit I am tempted to send him lots of background info, anticipating any possible negatives with a rationale for why I wrote as I did. But I am not going to—let his words fall where they may. And I also intend to share the review with you, warts and all. (Though I may also give my version of the truth. Hey, it is my blog!)

But the point of all this is not (just) to remind you of my book. It is to suggest that you do everything you can to get the word out about your product or service, and do not hesitate because you think you may get a bad review, or be concerned that it might be a damning report or produce unpleasant word of mouth. Get the word out! People, for good or for bad, probably won't remember what specifically was said, but they will hopefully remember your name, at least until the next thing catches their eye. (Which is why marketing is an ongoing event.)

And don't make the mistake I am going to make. Unless it is truly scandalous, bordering on blasphemous, and receives intense media scrutiny, don't bother to respond. (If you have a restaurant that has been closed for health violations, don't take out ads saying you are now open again.) The only people who will notice your response are the ones who did not see the original piece, which you will have now succeeded in bringing to their attention.

A History Lesson

During the past six months or so, I have been hearing radio commercials for Legal Sea Foods. The first group used fictitious competitors making outlandish claims comparing themselves to Legal Sea Foods.  With each false or overstated claim that was made, you heard a loud (annoying) buzzer sound. When the statement was modified to be an accurate, though less imposing claim, you heard the sound of a bell, like the one at a hotel  lobby desk. So it went somewhat like this: Competitor: Our fish is as fresh as Legal Sea Foods. (BUZZZZ). OK, It's almost as fresh (BUZZZZ). OK, it's fish (RING).

There were  several versions of this format, including a lying captain of a fishing boat, replete with buzzing sounds indicating an aural equivalent of Pinocchio's nose. It then evolved to the President of Legal Sea Foods, Roger Berkowitz, doing a version. But rather than using sounds indicating he was lying, he had a "real" announcer interrupt with the truth. So if Roger said he was on a large fishing boat in the Atlantic, the announcer would respond with, "He is actually inside a large recording studio."

All well and good enough. But then recently they switched to Roger doing a straight pitch, talking about the history and traditions of his company, and the quality and value of his food. But I didn't believe him! They had spent so much time and money on commercials that were filled with falsehoods, I kept waiting for the "honest" version of his talk. It is as if they decided to ignore their own marketing history, and suddenly change course without regard to what they had been doing. OK, I did pay attention, and I do remember his spots. But hey, I have a blog to write.

If you are going to change course with your marketing, that's fine. Even change strategy, if yours is not working. (Be careful of reacting too quickly, or overreacting.) But you can't ignore all your previous messages, as if they never existed. New creative on the same strategy is certainly acceptable. You can build on your past, or start anew. But don't give customers a chance to confuse your message by "sort of" changing it.

What Are You Doing For Lunch?

With this, to say the least, uncertain economy, there have been many articles and blogs talking about how to save money. Brown bagging has come in for a large share of comments, including an article in the Wall Street Journal, discussing how much you can save buying ingredients and making lunch at home to bring to work, rather than buying lunch at local delis.

This is a relatively recent topic, so I was quite impressed at the signs I have been seeing at my neighborhood delis, from Boar's Head meats.  They have very quickly produced point of sale material, to take advantage of the immediacy of the situation, along with more information on their web site.

Granted, luncheon meats are their bread and butter (!), and you would expect them to be aware of trends that affect them. But to do it so quickly is a mark of someone really paying attention. (They have always had very clever signage, with a consistent outpouring of crisp good ideas.)

If you wait for a trend to become a fashion, you will have waited too long. By then, everyone will be alluding to it in their marketing, and you will have lost your opportunity to stand out. Anything going on soon in politics, the economy, even forthcoming movies that you can tie-in with some quick, unexpected but relevant marketing hits?

I've Been Scalloped!

Very, very nice restaurant in New York. Three stars from the New York Times' Frank Bruni, the chief restaurant critic. Ambiance, service, food all way above average. Except...

When my wife ordered an appetizer and then the scallops, the waitress asked if she wanted the appetizer or entree portion. "What's the difference?" my wife asked. "Well, the appetizer portion only has two scallops,"  was the reply. So my wife opted for the entree portion. When it was served, I had to laugh. There on the plate, rather than the two scallops that would have rested there if it had been an appetizer, were three!

Granted, we did not ask how many were in the larger portion, nor did the server volunteer that information. And we made the old "assume"  mistake by assuming that if a smaller portion were two, then a larger portion would not just add one more of the item. And since, happily, I did not pay the check (thank you Jeff and Amanda) I do not know the price difference. But you know exactly how we felt.

Customer service, pricing, honesty. They're all part of your marketing. Honesty first, with no room for fudging or lack of full disclosure. If, in this very small example, you are going to inform me that you get two scallops as an appetizer, then be sure to tell me that as a main course you get three, and let me decide if one more is worth whatever per cent the additional cost is. Don't require me to inquire on my own; give me complete information.

Put a positive spin on anything you are selling, product or service. But don't  rely on asterisks, real or implied, to take away what your headline offers.

Taxi!!!

 Advertising on the top of a taxi in New York has all the limitations of most out-of-home posters: not much room to tell your story, and usually it is not a stationary target. On a building sign, you are driving or walking by. On top of a taxi, the ad is moving past you. But while you can't control the movement, you can control the message.

Here are two different ads I saw recently. You tell me which one works and which one doesn't.

First, there was the ad for Sweet 'N Low®, the sugar substitute. It was done all in pink, their brand color, featuring a picture of the pink packet. There was a picture of Regis Philbin and the copy line, "You can't beat pink, pal."

The other ad, same space limitation, was for McDonalds®. "Yum, Y'all" was the  headline, plus a shot of  a new sandwich, along with a caption calling it McDonald's new southern style chicken sandwich.

Selected your favorite? Which one was more attention getting, with a picture and headline that worked well together and which one had a meaningless message that may have been trying to use a celebrity as an endorser, but turned out to be as removed from reality as their product is to real sugar.

(If you still are not sure, maybe it is time for you to buy my book.)

What's The Difference?

Went to a local movie theater over the weekend. Along with all the previews and notices, there was some info about the chain the theater belonged to. And their tag line, "Experience The Difference."

Except I could not determine any difference. Snacks and beverages were priced about the same as any other movie theater. Seats were a touch less comfortable, sound system a little old fashioned. And the best they could come up  with to post on each of their many screens to help build their identity was the cliché, "Experience The Difference."

Of course, there are other "difference" clichés. Like the famous, "Taste The Difference." And, of course, the ever-popular, "Feel The Difference."

Point is, none of these tags make the slightest difference to the consumer. They are a collection of words that are invisible, the result of lazy, "Let's move on to something important" thinking, like how much make-believe butter we should put on the stale popcorn.

So here's a free, money saving tip for you. Don't bother. If you are planning to use "Invisible" words, save yourself the time and trouble and the ink and design time. Just leave them off your marketing. Because no one will see them anyway.

Thank You, Terry

Terry Ewert, Live College Sports Producer at the Big Ten Network, and former Executive Producer at CBS Sports and Coordinating Producer at NBC Sports did a series of animated spots for my book. They can be found on youtube, if you search for "all you need is a good idea, roger."

They are fun, creative, distinctive and very different—in a positive way—from anything I would have created. Take a look and see what you think. Your comments would be appreciated.

A Tree Frog?

The radio commercial starts off with pleasant, whistling sound. The announcer comes in and says, This is not a whatever, it is not a whatever, nor a whatever. (I don't recall the exact examples.) He then says, "This is a whistling tree frog." And it turns out he is using it to exemplify the virtues of the island of Barbados.

I have been to the island, and it is  filled with beautiful beaches, natural wonders, flora, fauna, animals, food, sunshine, caves, underground lakes, and warm, friendly locals. And of all the things they could think of to attract me and my dollars to their island, rather than all the other vacation choices, was a tree frog? Nah.

UPDATE: Listened to the radio spot a few more times. I now realize that the announcer is saying that this is not a bird, or piped-in music, or a boom box, or the crowds, or the engines of a giant cruise ship. So the point is that you don't hear the normal vacation sounds in Barbados. Or maybe that it is still quiet enough there to actually hear the frogs. Either way, this idea is just making me work too hard to care.

On the other hand, I liked their tag line, "A little harder to get to. And a whole lot harder to leave." Wordy, perhaps, but it was based on, and acknowledged, the truth, was human, didn't scream inappropriately for attention and seemed quite appealing. Now if they could only quiet down those damn frogs.

AND THE WINNER IS...

We had a contest the other day to see if readers could determine what product was being advertised in this ad:

The first correct answer was received from TLY, who correctly guessed, well, guessed is too strong a word. TLY admitted that when the cursor was passed over the image, my caption, which inadvertently had the answer, was revealed. But still, a deal is a deal. So congratulations. For those of you who were stumped, as you should have been, here is the original ad.

As you can see, the answer to what satisfies a hungry woman, is...Post Shredded Wheat!  And they use the tag, "Outrageous Satisfaction" to tie it all up.

This ad makes little sense on any level, and if they were trying for shock value, the only shock is how the agency got the client to approve the advertising.

ENTER TO WIN

Yes I do have a contest for you. But there is no prize, so...wait...come back.
You will have the personal satisfaction of getting a correct answer.
The question is, what product is being advertised in this ad?

                 

I have blurred all the clues that would give it away. Yes, she is holding something in each hand, and the product package itself is on the night table.  There is a man asleep in the bed and the headline, if you can't read it, is "What satisfies a hungry woman?"  No fair cheating, but I will give you one important clue: It is a product that has absolutely no relevance to the situation.

Just submit your answer as a comment. In case of a tie, well, that implies more than one entry, so let's not worry about that right now.

I will supply the correct answer on my next posting. But you won't believe it.