Friday Night Marketing News

A little early:

Sports

Taco Bell In First: 2-Minute All Star Game Ad

by Karl Greenberg

"Sports are the foundation of our media investment; we have been incredibly pleased with our relationship with Major League Baseball, of which we are official QSR. When we started 'dating' the NBA, we saw that as a perfect in terms of fan base," says Yum Brands' Deborah Myers in a chat with Marketing Daily. ... Read the whole story > >

Food

Wise Potato Chips Go For World 'Crunch' Record

by Karlene Lukovitz

The "Big City Crunch" has been promoted since May 18 via New York-area print, outdoor and radio advertising featuring Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, plus promotional messaging on the Mets TV network, ad wraps on buses and street ambassadors handing out chip samples and promotional pieces. PR has resulted in additional media exposure. ... Read the whole story > >

Beverages

Evian's Dancing Babies Take Internet By Storm

by Tanya Irwin

The launch of evianliveyoung.com, created by BETC 4D, is also a big component to this new platform, says spokesperson Cameryn Mercurio. On this site consumers can find the two viral "Live young" films and other digital teasers such as: the audio remix, "making-of" clips, and "interviews" with select babies from the film sharing anecdotes from the set. ... Read the whole story > >

Retail

Retailers Again Croon Blue Tune In June

by Sarah Mahoney

With the exception of Target Corp., which posted a worse-than-expected 6.2% decline, value-conscious chains offered the month's bright spots. For example, teen retailer Aeropostale posted an admirable same-store increase of 12%, while Abercrombie & Fitch turned in another enormous loss, with sales falling 32% in June. ... Read the whole story > >

Trends

Q Score: Celebs Worth More Dead Than Alive

by Aaron Baar

According to Marketing Evaluations (a.k.a., The Q Scores Company), the likability factor of celebrities who struggled with some perception problems in life, such as Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, increased greatly after their deaths. The same will likely hold true for Michael Jackson, says Henry Schafer, executive vice president of Marketing Evaluations. ... Read the whole story > >

Packaged Goods

P&G's Duracell Leverages Trust In New Effort

by Karl Greenberg

Duracell says the effort also includes a 60-second radio ad highlighting an amateur radio station located at the National Hurricane Center operated by volunteer ham radio operators who talk to first responders in South Florida. The first new TV spot shows an Air Life Denver pilot in night-vision goggles saving tornado victims waving from their totaled home. ... Read the whole story > >

Mays Family Allows Commercials To Continue

HP Partners With Green Social Network For Contest

Actor Chris Noth Hired By Life Insurance Industry

PepsiCo Creates New Product Development Position

Chrysler Lines Up Marketing Teams At Chrysler, Jeep

McDonald's Launching Massive McCafé Sampling

Amazon To Sell Cell Phones, Service Plans

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Choosy Shoppers Choose...

Jiff?

But with brand extensions going out the wazoo, it's a different world. Drew wrote this:

Too many choices paralyze buyers

Posted: 08 Jul 2009 11:58 AM PDT

When television was first introduced, there were 3 black and white channels. Today, 500+. Many in my baby boomer (I would like to point out that I am on the very tail end of that demographic!) demo grew up reveling in the idea of many choices because it was new territory.

But fast forward to today and you see those same baby boomers being overwhelmed at the array of decisions (based on choices) they have to make every day.

Walk into any mobile phone store and just count the number of phones available. It's staggering. Then, you have to figure out what each one does...and why it matters to you.

No wonder it is often easier for us to check out, than to check all the options.

Consumer research shows that the American consumer is suffering from choice fatigue. A study (by Sheena S. Iyengar from Columbia University and Mark R. Lepper from Stanford called "When Choice is Demotivating") found too many choices actually frustrated shoppers. People were offered either 30 choices or 6 choices of jam and then given coupons to purchase what they sampled.

Of those that had the opportunity to sample 30 only 3% made a purchase, while of those given 6 choices ten times as many or 30% made a purchase. That's a huge difference.

To better understand how we all react when faced with too many choices watch this brilliant TED talk by Barry Schwartz - author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. In this talk, he explains how and why the too many choices are paralyzing us.

So what does that mean for you and me?

It means that there is power in simple. Our customers are time-starved and information-saturated. Make it easy. If you have to give your customers a lot of choices -- group or organize them in a way that allows their brain to sift through the options more logically and quicker.

It also means that we need to recognize that having more choices doesn't necessarily give us an edge over the competition.

If you are going to offer lots of variety -- be sure you have a good reason for doing so, and be sure you help your consumers navigate through those choices.

Or they might not choose you at all.

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Why?

The answer is below:

Daily Sales Tip: Why People Buy

A fundamental question in selling is not why people sell, but why people buy.

It is well known that people buy for their own reasons -- not for the seller's. In fact, their motivation to buy may have very little to do with the reasons why the seller thinks they should buy. When it comes down to it, people buy something to meet their needs, or resolve the problems they are facing.

According to Neil Rackham, author of SPIN Selling, people decide to buy when, "the pain of the problem and desire for a solution have been built to the point where they are greater than the cost of the solution."

A good sales professional can help clients come to that realization. But it doesn't happen as easily as you might think. Most people learn the basics of conducting needs analysis, customizing solutions and linking benefits to pain in their Sales 101 class. However, once they are out in the real world, they forget to bring these classroom lessons to life, and somehow their competence, composure, and confidence suddenly evaporate. Faced with self-induced, pressure-filled selling situations, they confuse telling with selling.

As dairy farmers are apt to say, "Cows don't give milk. You have to take it from them." The same is true with selling. Nobody just gives you a sale. You have to take it. But how you "take it" is very counterintuitive. A natural tendency of most sellers is to rush in. And as the Newtonian principle outlines, the equal and opposite reaction on the part of the buyers is to shut them out.

Like milking a cow, selling can be a delicate operation. While a client probably won't threaten you with a hoof, you're still faced with the fact that the harder you push, the more pushback you get. Why? As Harry Truman once said, "The best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it."

Nobody likes to be told what to do -- not even children. Imagine going to a doctor who gives you the same prescription she gave the previous patient because it worked. By not listening, by not being inquisitive, by not clarifying assumptions, sellers come across as not caring -- or caring more about themselves -- and perpetuate the stereotype of the arrogant, pushy "salesman" we all love to hate.

Source: Abhay Padgaonkar, President of Innovative Solutions Consulting, LLC (www.innovativesolutions.org)

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Thursday Night Marketing News

Check out the last story from Lifesavers:

Food

Whole Foods Adopts Non-GMO Verification

by Karlene Lukovitz

The Non-GMO Project is a nonprofit collaboration of North American organic and natural product manufacturers, retailers, processors, distributors, farmers and seed breeders, plus consumers. Its stated missions are to enable consumers to make informed choices and help ensure the sustained availability of non-GMO food options. ... Read the whole story > >

Retail

Shell Unveils European, Asian Ad Push

by Karl Greenberg

Within each country, the campaign has a set of regional broadcast spots that start with a drop of fuel falling onto a piece of paper, through which one sees a range of vehicles driving down different streets. The ads also drive consumers to www.shell.com/everydrop. The first of a juggernaut of 11 such ads started in targeted countries this spring, with the latest raft of six TV spots launching this week. ... Read the whole story > >

Financial Services

HSBC Focuses On The Big Apple

by Tanya Irwin

"We are focusing in on our footprint by taking the 'Values' campaign and bringing it home to New York and letting real people own it," HSBC's Johanna Breman tells Marketing Daily. "We as a bank are really interested in learning what drives people's life decisions and how might we best get at what really matters so we can develop the best products that meet their needs." ... Read the whole story > >

Electronics

Consumers Look To Ease Carbon Footprint Guilt

by Aaron Baar

In the 21 countries covered in the survey, women were generally more concerned about the environment than men. Seventy-one percent of women said they felt guilty disposing of an electronic device rather than repairing it, compared with 63% of men. ... Read the whole story > >

Automotive

Nissan Pits Altima Against Camry, Segment

by Karl Greenberg

"We think advertising should always be branded and have a price position. It isn't easy to unite value and brand; we acknowledge that. But in this marketplace it is imperative we incorporate both messages into everything we do," says Erich Marx, director of Nissan marketing. ... Read the whole story > >

Consumers Say Health Videos Are Top Resource

7-Eleven Looks for Lower Bank Fees

Microsoft's Reller Takes On Marketing Duties

MLB, MasterCard Back Cancer Initiative

Life Savers Offers Cell Service For Life

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Yes, No, or Maybe

Seth Godin recently wrote on how you can use Maybe and make more money:

What to do with special requests

The bike shop is busy in June. If you bring your bike in for a tune up, it will cost $39 and take a week.

A week!

What if someone says, "I have a bike trip coming up in three days, can you do it by then?"

At most bike shops, the answer is a shrug, followed by, "I'm sorry, we're swamped."

The problem with telling people to go away is that they go away. And the problem with treating all customers the same is that customers aren't the same. They're different and they demand to be treated (and are often willing to pay) differently.

So, why not smile and say, "Oh, wow, that's a rush. We can do it, but it's expensive. It'll cost you $90. I know that's a lot, but there you go."

Outcome: Maybe they'll still leave. But maybe they'll happily pay you for the privilege of doing business with you. Why should this be your choice, not theirs?

If you do tax accounting for mid-size businesses, why not offer a special last-minute service? A service in which you process shoeboxes filled with unsorted papers? A service that costs less but happens during your slow season?

There are two really good reasons to turn down special requests:

1. because you're marketing yourself as extremely busy and perfectly willing to turn down good work.

2. because you want to market yourself as someone who is a rigid artist, a stick in the mud or a crotchety perfectionist. This works great for pizza places.

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New Ad Campaigns

From Amy:

Roller babies. Name Hardees' biscuit holes. An hourglass of Skittles + hungry friend = prematurely aging man. Let's launch!

Just another day in the "Birdhouse." A TV spot for Robinsons' Be Natural soft drink give a bird's-eye view inside a bird's humble abode. Our feathered friend comes home from work, puts away toys, watches news delivered by a pigeon broadcaster, has a human cuckoo clock and keeps packaged worms in the fridge, next to the Robinsons. The bird curls up with a beverage and a nice tabloid. "Squash made from naturally sourced ingredients" ends the ad, seen here. BBH created the ad, edited by Cut+Run.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority launched "What Happens in Blank," a TV spot that drives home the fact that inserting your town's name into the popular "What happens here, stays here," tagline doesn't magically transport you to Vegas. The debauchery found in "The Hangover" cannot be replicated at the Caribou lodge. A man puts the moves on a woman while riding a Ferris wheel... in Billips County. She's unimpressed. A man hopes his rectal exam stays between him and his doctor -- and Caribou lodge members love to let loose and dance. See the craziness here, created by R&R Partners.

Starburst feels connected to a Scot-Korean father and son in "Kilt." Both are contradictions; Starbursts are solid, but juicy, and meeting a kilt-wearing Scot-Korean doesn't happen every day. Once the father explains to his son that Starbursts, along with their family tree, don't make sense, he points out another oxymoron: Timmy, the albino lifeguard. Watch the ad here. TBWA/Chiat/Day New York created the ad and MediaVest handled the media buy.

Evian is making roller skates popular for the diaper-wearing demographic. Roller Babies is airing on broadcast TV in Europe, and on YouTube in the United States, Japan and Canada. "Let's observe the effect of Evian on your body," begins the ad. Viewers are shown a boombox with a "Rapper's Delight" tape, and a baby clad in a white onesie and roller skates. The song begins and a group of onesie-wearing skaters convene at a park to show off their skills. Halfway through the spot, action is halted for Evian copy that touts the water as a supporter of a body's youth. More shots of laughing, happy, skating babies complete the ad. "Evian. Live young," says the voiceover. Ninety-six babies were filmed to create the ad, seen here. There's also a Web site containing teasers, making of the ad footage and links to babies' Facebook pages. BETC Euro RSCG created the ad and BETC 4D created the site.

Like Skittles through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. Well, at least one man's life depends on where in the hourglass the Skittles lie. A guy nonchalantly grabs a handful of Skittles from an active hourglass, only to have his roommate arrive home with clumps of hair falling out. "I told you not to eat the Skittles from my hourglass. You're speeding up time. How many did you eat?" the roommate asks while his friend continues to eat. The roommate grows older, balder and wrinkled by the second, until he falls asleep mid-conversation. Watch the ad here. TBWA/Chiat/Day New York created the spot and MediaVest handled the media buy.

Hardee's added Biscuit Holes to its menu but wants a catchier name than biscuit holes. Man-on-the-street taste-tests bring out more double entendres than you can stuff your hole with. The first ad pits Hardee's "b" holes against donut "a" holes. "The a-hole seems kind of small" and "the a-hole tastes funny" are just some of the feedback given by passersby. See it here. Consumers attempt to name the biscuit holes and come up with some gems: goody balls, sweet balls, puffy nuts and frosty dippers are only a few possibilities. See them all here. It's crass, but hard not to laugh at some people's reactions. One woman gets an entire ad dedicated to her hearty appetite and name suggestions. Watch it here. Remaining ads show a woman being fed, an eating contest and a challenge: how many holes can one fit in their mouth at once? After watching these ads, did anyone else think of an old "South Park" episode where Chef shared a recipe for his chocolate salty balls? See a clip here. Don't forget to visit the biscuit holes microsite where the witty can upload idea names. Mendelsohn Zien created the campaign.

A national cinema spot for Axe Instinct: Leather is strange. You have no idea what the spot even advertises until the closing credits. What we have is a seductive song and something moving underneath black leather. Halfway through the ad, an outline of a leg is revealed and the camera moves up the leg and over a woman's chest until we see the outline of her face. The spot ends with the woman wrapped in an embrace and the copy: "Axe Instinct. The Power of Leather." See the ad here, produced by Blacklist New York.

Mitsubishi Electric launched two TV spots promoting its ductless HVAC comfort systems. The first spot compares the quality of fresh air found in the middle of nowhere to that achieved with Mitsubishi Electric's cooling and heating systems. Watch it here. The second ad, "Footprints," uses most of the same footage found in the first ad, but focuses on saving money on home energy bills and reducing one's carbon footprint. See it here. Ames Scullin O'Haire created the campaign and handled the media buy.

Random iPhone App of the week: MasterCard launched ATM Hunter, an App to find ATM locations anywhere in the world. The free App can locate ATMs based on a person's current coordinates and inform him/her where an ATM is located, whether it's in a bank, store or gas station. ATM locations can be shared with others via SMS. MRM Worldwide created the App.

Amy Corr is managing editor, online newsletters for MediaPost. She can be reached at amyc@mediapost.com.

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Buyers Remorse

Today's sales tip is from Craig Garber:

Most of the people who buy from you will go away and never
return again, and then a smaller percentage will love you
and what you've sold them and return many many times over.

There is an even smaller percentage of your buyers, however,
who will experience some kind of regret or what's commonly
called "buyer's remorse," after making their purchase. And
some of these people will give you a hard time and make
their problems your problems.

Buyers remorse is typically the result of three different
things:

One, people spent more money than they should have -- and...
they don't see the benefits of what they're getting.
Meaning, they bought on impulse and didn't think things
through.

The best way to make sure this doesn't happen is to always
give the end result benefits of what you're selling
(meaning, sell the comfort and pride the living room set
gives you, not just "a couch and two chairs"). Make sure
you give people test-drives of your product, to the extent
this is possible -- this helps a lot.

Two, spending money they can't afford to spend.

This isn't a big deal on a "want" purchase like a television
or a bottle of booze. But on a "desperation" purchase, but
it is where someone is desperate for relief or for
something else, and they think your product or service is
the magic bullet they've been looking for... that's going
to make everything they've screwed up over the last ten
years, better overnight.

Although you may be able to mitigate the problems these
folks might give you (I'll tell you how in a minute), for
the most part, don't worry about them. They are immature
and aren't likely to be successful or happy, anytime soon,
until they're ready to take full responsibility for
themselves.

These are the pains in the ass who make their problems your
problems, and everyone else's problems they come into
contact with throughout their pretty unhappy lives.

Trying to "control" them is like trying to control your
ex-wife when she's amped up on meth. Ain't gonna happen
any time soon, trust me.

Then there are those other buyers who are in Customer Limbo,
for lack of a better description. They most likely bought
your product because they had some kind of a good "feeling"
about it, or about you, but... they probably didn't do
enough research to justify their own purchase, logically.

Meaning, you whet their appetite by pushing their correct
emotional buy-buttons, but they didn't spend the time
digesting everything you had to offer or everything you had
to say before making their decision.

These are the folks you can do something with, when it comes
to eliminating buyers remorse.

And that best thing you can do is offer them some kind of
post-purchase reassurance. You use the same tone of voice,
or the same gifts of kindness you used to persuade them to
buy in the first place, and you give them thanks and
reassurance, all at the same time.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

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Wednesday Night Marketing News

Clickables from Mediapost:

Financial Services

Fifth Third Bank Tells Students 'Don't Be That Guy'

by Tanya Irwin

The effort includes www.53.com/students, in-bank and college campus signage, t-shirts, cinema advertising, online ads and a scholarship sweepstakes. In August, to coincide with the new school year, the campaign will further expand to include TV, print, online and guerrilla marketing. The campaign runs through mid-September. ... Read the whole story > >

Retail

Study: Thriftier, Healthier Consumers Dining In More

by Sarah Mahoney

Besides buying more frozen food, other fast-growing cost-cutting techniques include making a list (82% now do this, up from 70% in January), comparing store circulars (64% vs. 52%), and shopping in a variety of stores based on prices (46% vs. 37%), according to Supermarketguru.com. ... Read the whole story > >

Automotive

Piaggio Cites Relevancy To 'Urban Mobility Report'

by Nina M. Lentini

Paolo Timoni, President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas, tells Marketing Daily that he finds it odd that, although scooter usage around the world has risen, "somehow only in North America is the usage of two wheels very limited. For the past three, four years, we have tried to encourage the [TTI] to learn about scooters, to consider them as a solution." ... Read the whole story > >

Food

Health, Convenience Still Dominate Food Trends

by Karlene Lukovitz

Organic foods will show the most significant growth in the decade ahead, with instances of Americans eating these foods jumping by 41%, forecasts NPD. Population aging is a major driver. "People eat more fruits and vegetables as they age, and fruits and vegetables dominate the organic sector," sums up NPD's Ann Hanson. ... Read the whole story > >

Research

Marketers Would Do Well To Target Boomer Men

by Aaron Baar

Says the Natural Marketing Institute's Steve French, "If you're never targeting them, you're never going to get the purchase. ... They are more connected to a national brand, than with the wider selections that women may be aware of. Men may also associate a house brand back to the days when it was an inferior product." ... Read the whole story > >

Retail

Ace Hardware Snags 30% More In Mobile Effort

by Mark Walsh

The Ace campaign handled by Horizon Media was aimed at driving people to Ace Hardware stores for Memorial Day sales on items including Adirondack chairs, Round-Up Weed & Grass Killer and Ace Royal Paint. ... Read the whole story > >

Candie's, Kohl's And Spears To Do It Again

Panasonic To Sponsor L.A. Kings Hockey Team

Coldwell Banker Launches Times Square Billboard

ANA Extends Deadline For Multicultural Award Entries

Heinz Ketchup Promo Collects Inspiring Memories

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