Wizard Wisdom

From my Email this morning:

Dear Scott, When it comes to websites... "Content is the key to conversion. Design only enhances the communication to the waters that lie beneath our mind." - Paul Boomer, Wizard of Ads Partner Regardless your choice of media... TV, radio, newspaper, yellow pages, magazines, flyers, blogs or websites, Paul's quote applies equally to all. Content is the key to conversion. In this issue: Undressing a Makeup Success The Great Secret of Success Deliver What You Say Undressing a Makeup Success Or... deconstructing the marketing of a successful brand. By Sonya Winterbotham, Wizard of Ads Associate (Australia) "Here’s an exercise - Ask your staff what words they associated with your business… If you get mixed answers your internal branding needs work." I hadn’t seen women so crazed to throw money at something since Manpower toured… Hundreds of dollars leapt over the counter in an effort to snatch one brand… one very cleverly marketed makeup brand… Napoleon Pedis. And it wasn’t even on sale. A success story like this always makes me curious… how’d he do it? The two hours I spent at the launch of their latest point of sale outlet gave me my answer. A quality product being very intelligently marketed. Ok… not exactly the mind blowing answer you were hoping for… But his marketing strategy got me spending $170 on my first encounter with the product. So let’s break it down. Packaging:- The first big difference I noticed with NP was when I started reading the product packaging. Ever done it? You should. I compared NP with two other leading brands – the competitors packaging contained lines like “looks and feels fresh all day”, “moisture balanced, oil free formula”. NP’s packaging said snore bore to that let’s have fun and put you up in lights with lines coming to life like:- “not to prime is a crime” “get (even more) gorgeous” “your skin appears beautifully bright… up, up, up and away”. It actually sounded like someone enjoyed writing it. But what if you own a business not a product? Well aren’t your staff part of your product, think for a minute – how are they packaged? Language:- Napoleon Perdis is makeup… so it’s a very visual product… but through a brand vocabulary created for presentations they could have sold it to me with my eyes closed. Our presenter spoke metaphorically with a list of words that melted every woman in the room. She made NP a fashion brand and an artistic craft… Referring to products as “accessories” for your clothes… or layers of colour used in a painting. And they name their products the same way – so you end up with “camera finish” powder, “china doll” foundation, “mosaics” and “primers”. Getting the picture? It’s hard not to. And the beauty of it is every brand ambassador is selling in the same language – sounds likes repetition to me. Here’s an exercise - Ask your staff what words they associated with your business… If you get mixed answers your internal branding needs work. Brand protection:- If you want to stock and sell the NP brand… you’ve got to pass the test. Napoleon Perdis has a minimum “buy in” to stock the product. There needs to be certain floor space, certain aesthetics, a Napoleon Perdis counter in Napoleon Perdis colours and Napoleon Perdis trained staff. It’s basically protection so that this brand is represented in a similar fashion in every store. Sounds like consistency. Brand association:- Napoleon Perdis doesn’t sit on the sidelines waiting for publicity to show up on the doorstep. He’s appeared on Australia’s Next Top Model, he’s created his own reality tv show, he’s on youtube, myspace… and within less than 10 years since it’s inception, Napoleon Perdis makeup is THE makeup brand now associated with events like The Emmy’s. It appears that while the giants in their white lab coats and secret ingredients were sleeping, along came a colourful little Aussie… who’s proved through clever marketing he’s worth the big bucks… and women of the world agree. Grow your business, subscribe to The Wizard Chronicle. It's our free gift to you. The Great Secret of Success "Concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it; adapt every improvement, and know most about it. The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means they have scattered their brains also. They have investments in this, or that, or there, here, there and everywhere. "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" is all wrong. I tell you "put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket." One fault of the American businessman is lack of concentration." - Andrew Carnegie (1835 - 1919) from a speech given to the students of Curry Commercial College in Pittsburgh in 1885. From 'The Book of Business Wisdom: Classic Writings by the Legends of Commerce and Industry.' Edited by Peter Krass Solid principles remain relevant regardless the passing of time. Deliver What You Say “It has always seemed to me that your brand is formed primarily, not by what your company says about itself, but what the company does." - Jeff Bezos, CEO, Amazon.com Smart advertising is not about being creative or making stuff up. It’s about telling the truth. Telling people what they can really expect when they do business with you. As Jeff Bezos says in the above quote. Your company is judged by what it does, how it delivers, not by what your ads say. People are shocked when what you say in your advertising is delivered in your store, on your website, over the phone, by your employees. Why? Because most advertising is a lie, fictional, make believe, a fantasy. So quit writing fairy tale ads. Pull up your sleaves and get to work delivering the experience your customers and employees crave. Plug the leaks in your conversion funnel. Look after your customers like no competitor can. Then, advertising is simple... you stand up and tell the truth. Previous stories, just in case you missed them: Wizard Words... The Sword in the Stone One Way to Build a Successful Business Why the Rule of Resemblance Fails A Closing Thought "We create Failure when we pretend that Creativity can magically overcome the fact that an advertiser has nothing to say." - Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads See you next week. Craig Arthur Wizard of Ads PS. Need help to attract more customers and grow your business? Australia Call (07) 4728 4866 or email craigarthur@wizardofads.com North America Call 308-254-2732 or email daveyoung@wizardofads.com Call 440-610-9746 or email tomwanek@wizardofads.com We will never try and sell you. You may punch us in the arm really, really hard if we do. Call or email to book a FREE alignment meeting. No obligation. No pressure. It is at this meeting we both decide if there is a fit between our 2 companies. It is only then can we explore your options. We will never try to sell you. Call (07) 4728 4866.

Wizard Partners Australia. Call Us: (07) 4728 4866

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