In 12 hours from 11pm to 11am, G-mail filtered out 95 spam emails I received. That's one of the reasons I switched to G-mail, because of their superior Spam filtering compared to Yahoo's mail which I used for years.
G-mail also has an automatic spam delete feature, where they'll dump any messages that are more than 30 days old. So I'm going to conduct a 30 day experiment to see how much spam I get. I did this experiment a few months ago and had over 2000 messages in my spam folder, we'll see what happens now.
The reason spammers do it, is because there are enough people stupid enough to fall for the scams and phishing attempts, and the risk to the spammers is small.
Please do not use spam tactics in your marketing. Invite people to do business with you by using permission based marketing methods. Remember successful marketing is built on creating positive relationships with people, not annoying people.
Anthony Juliano (That's his picture below), wrote about texting vs. email this week on his SoundBite Back blog. Check it out by clicking here.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Why do Spammers Spam?
Friday, March 07, 2008
Looking for the Common Link to Success
We are looking for formulas, answers, solutions, patterns, to success. Often we are too busy living to stop and look around. Here's a review of 5 days that may offer you some insight. Just click here.
Bold Statements in Advertising
McDonald's ran this in Swedish newspapers this week (click on it to make it bigger):
Marketing to Minorities
If you are in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area on Thursday, March 27th, join our local Advertising Federation for lunch and a presentation on marketing to minorities. Email me at scloho@scloho.net, and I'll send you details.
The following research report came in my email today about this subject:
Marketers Still Confused about Multicultural Marketing
Though 84% of marketers agree that multicultural marketing is critical to their business, nearly 40% say they don’t know how much minority groups contribute to their companies’ revenues, according to a Brandiosity study conducted for Heidrick & Struggles, reports AdAge.
Asked what type of agencies they use to reach Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians, 58% of marketers said they use general-market-research firms; 51% cited multicultural agencies; 42% said general-market agencies; and 35% cited multicultural-research firms.
Among the findings cited by AdAge:
- Nearly half of the top 20 challenges that executives cited had to do with convincing management and their peers of the value of multicultural marketing.
- Asked which minority segment was most important to their company, 65% selected Hispanics, 30% said African-Americans, 24% cited Asians.
- Asked whether it “takes a Latino to market to a Latino,” 35% said yes - but 39% disagreed.
- Despite increased efforts in multicultural marketing, its perceived effectiveness in companies remains low. One reason may be systemic - that is, multicultural marketing is not an integral part of the organization - as 44% of executives say companies are not structured to efficiently conduct multicultural marketing.
About the data: More than two-thirds of the 60 survey respondents were chief marketing officers or senior VPs of marketing; 14% were VPs, managers or directors. Respondents represented a variety of industries, including retail, CPG, telecom, financial services, fast food and apparel.
Sphere: Related ContentPolitical Marketing 2008
I'm not going to get political on this website. However there's an important marketing mistake being made right now.
The Republicans can take their money and spend it to promote their platform and their candidate. John McCain can focus on November 4, 2008.
Meanwhile, the Democrats are tearing each other apart. They should stop and focus on November too. Most Democrats would be happy with either candidate. More state primaries are coming and voters will decide, but if they continue to battle each other, they are wasting money dividing their own party, instead of focusing on winning the big election.
Look at how this applies to your business. Are you doing battle with someone that you could actually partner up with instead? We have done joint projects with other media outlets (television stations) and a business newspaper that benefit all of us. What can you do to promote your industry? Perhaps a buy local campaign? Perhaps a reciprocal couponing venture? The ideas are out there.
The following cartoon was published a few hundred years ago by a wise man known as Ben Franklin:
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Radio's Past & Future
Just a reminder and disclaimer: I work for a group of radio stations and have worked for radio stations for 20 of the past 30 years (since my high school days).
So that might give me a bias, but also an insiders perspective and as a student of the entire marketing process, I believe I can tell the truth regarding many forms of media and advertising. There, end of disclaimer. Now the story.
Traditional Radio Broadcasting has survived many forms of competition, including 8 tracks, cassettes, C.D. players, satellite radio and now MP3 players in the form of Ipods and cell phones that store & play music.
The internet is either competition to traditional media, or an addition that can be used to enhance traditional media. Click here to see how TV and the Web are used together right now by a lot of consumers.
As far as the current state of AM and FM radio broadcasting, Mediapost has this story:
THERE WAS MORE BAD NEWS for the radio industry this week, with the Radio Advertising Bureau's announcement that revenues fell 2% in 2007 compared to 2006, to $21.3 billion. Describing the results as "diverse," the RAB pointed to high-growth areas, like non-spot (including Internet) up 10% to $1.7 billion, and network, up 4% to $1.1 billion. But this delicate euphemism,couldn't hide the setbacks in radio's two main arenas: local advertising, down 2% to $15.1 billion, and national, down 6% to $3.3 billion. Local and national combined fell 3% to $18.5 billion. (READ MORE)
Overcoming the Age Bias
I've seen the quote pop up a lot recently regarding bank robber Willie Sutton, who was asked, "Why rob banks?" And his answer, "Because that's where the money is!"
Over the past 40 plus years, companies often would follow the baby boom generation and target their products and services to them. I am part of the tail end of that demographic, being born in the 1950's by 20 days. (You do the math if you want).
When I worked on the air in Top 40 radio in my early 20's, the desirable demo was 18-34 year olds. Then it shifted slightly to 25-54 year olds. But instead of following the baby boomers into their 50's, 60's and beyond, the advertising community, generally speaking stopped keeping up with the boomers and went back to the younger generations.
A huge mistake or huge opportunity, depending on what you do or don't do.
The 60 year old of 2008 is not the feeble minded 60 year old of 1938. Odds are they will live into their 80's. And they have money despite what the politicians are telling us.
The 50 plus, and 60 plus demo is under served, and if you want to find a niche market that has money, just follow Willie's advice and go to where the money is.
Here's some stats to back me up from the Center for Media Research:
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Retirees, Followed By Boomers, Will Redefine RetirementAccording to a report from The Media Audit, adults who are nearing retirement are now one of the fastest growing demographics in the country. 17.9% of all U.S. adults are now retired, a figure that has increased by 6% in the last five years and will rapidly increase as Boomers exit the workforce over the next few decades.
Consumption habits of aging Americans are likely very different from those of their predecessors because they are living longer, achieving higher levels of education, are wealthier, and redefining what it means to be retired.
- 83% of the retired adults in the U.S now own their own home
- Thirty percent of retired adults have cash, stocks and CD's valued at more than $100,000, the highest figure ever reported
- 13.1% of new automobile purchasers are retired, compared to 11.1% five years ago. 8.3% of adults who have a car loan are retired, compared to 6.4% five years ago, an increase of nearly 30%
- 16% of adults who frequently stay in hotels are retired, compared to 14.7% five years ago, a jump of almost 10%
- Among frequent beer consumers, 13% are retired, compared to 11.3% five years ago
- Adults who are retired are 6% more likely than the average U.S. adult to frequently dine out at a full service restaurant and retirees now make up nearly 20% of all adults who frequently dine out.
- 14.3% adults who plan to take an ocean cruise in the next year are retired.
Nearly one in five adults who plan to have lasik eye surgery are retired, and are 5% more likely than the average adult to be planning a lasik eye surgery procedure.
The report further reveals that adults who are retired today compared to the average U.S. adult:
- Spend nearly 30% more time watching broadcast TV,
- 14% more time watching cable TV
- 25% more time reading a daily newspaper
Retired adults today spend only 89 minutes per day online, a figure that is 26% less than the average U.S. adult who spends 123 minutes per day online. The next generation of retirees, though, is expected to be more computer and internet friendly, since Baby Boomers between the ages of 45 and 64 spend a considerably higher amount of time online - 123 minutes per day.
The most affluent retirees can be found in larger markets such as Washington, D.C., where the average retired adult earns $64,000 in household income.
San Jose, California, Fort Myers- Naples, Florida, San Francisco, California and Long Island, New York, follow behind with household incomes of more than $50,000.
And, currently the top ranking retiree markets are:
- Ocala, Florida with the highest percentage of retired adults (36%)
- Fort Myers- Naples, Florida (34%)
- Daytona Beach, Florida (33%)
- West Palm Beach, Florida (31%)
- Melbourne-Titusville-Cocoa,
Florida (29%)
For more information from the MediaAudit, please visit them here.
Sphere: Related Content2008 Small Business Survey Results
If you are a small business, work for one, or want to be a hero to your boss (Mr/Ms Small Business Owner), then study this for some insight from BusinessKnowHow.com:
How profitable will 2008 Be For Small Businesses?
Read what other small businesses think.
By Janet Attard
What's on the minds of small business owners this year? Are gloomy economic forecasts making them see red? Has the slowing economy already caused harm? Do small business owner think a recession is imminent or already here? Are sales slumping, or do they expect sales to slump?
The results of a survey that was completed by 400 business owners visiting the BusinessKnowHow.com website at the end of January shows that most small business owners are optimistic about the profitability of their own businesses in 2008, but not as optimistic about the economy in the near future.
As a group, the majority (63.7%) of small business owners who took the survey indicated they believe a recession is imminent. Surprisingly, however, 70% of the business owners who said they thought a recession is imminent believe their own businesses will be as profitable as or more profitable in 2008 than they were in 2007. Furthermore, 34.7% of those who indicated they believe a recession is imminent said they plan to hire employees in 2008.
Older female business owners were more inclined to believe a recession is at hand than the group as a whole. Of the women business owners who were 50 years of age or older, 70.5% saw recession looming. By comparison, 64.8% of male business owners who were 50 years of age or older indicated they believe a recession is about to take place.
The survey revealed other interesting results related to the number of people employed by the business and to the age and gender of the business owners.
One-person businesses, overall, had the lowest annual sales, with 51.8% of one-person businesses reporting annual sales of $25,000 or less. The majority (56.7%) of one-person businesses were women-owned.
Women, and particularly older women, tended to have the lowest annual sales. Survey results showed that 38.4% of female survey takers had annual sales of under $25,000. For women business owners 50 years of age or older, those with annual sales of under $25,000 climbed to 43.9%.
By comparison, 22% of all of the men taking the survey reported annual sales of under $25,000 while only 14.1% of the men 50 and over reported earning less than $25,000.
On the other end of the income spectrum, only 16.6% of the women who are 50 years of age or older reported annual sales of $100,000 or more, while for males 50 years of age or older, the percentage with annual revenues of $100,000 or more shot up to 56.6 percent.
When asked to comment on their most pressing business concerns this year, business owners brought up a wide range of economic concerns. Among the more frequently cited concerns: fuel costs, healthcare costs, difficulty in getting credit, high taxes, foreign competition, and fear of recession causing businesses and consumers to put off spending. One survey taker summed up the thoughts of many in five words: "Getting people to spend money."
Copyright 2008 Attard Communications, Inc.
And to stay on top of these and many other related issues, subscribe to their free e-mail newsletter and idea of the day.Another kind of Multi-Tasking
I guess, I'm not the only one. (I'll have to show this to my wife):
Media multitasking and “double-dipping” - watching TV while surfing the internet - are common among online adults in the United States and Britain, finds a survey by Harris Interactive conducted on behalf of online video search engine Blinkx.
Below, findings from the study.
Multitasking
Television should not fear that online video will steal away viewers, because it’s not an either/or proposition. That is, people use the web as an accompaniment to TV:
- 78% of US online adults have gone online while watching TV.
- 35% report doing so often or always.
Why Traditional Media is Dying
Seconds ago, while looking for a picture to add to my last post, I came across an excellent explanation to Why Traditional Media is Dying. It's more than a lack of readers, or lack of instant updates, just read about it here.
Here's a sample: "...The reason traditional media is being wiped out is that it costs so damned much to produce. You simply can't compete with a free blog. Supply and demand. There are millions of alternative sources of information that cost zip. And all of them can compete directly with dead tree media for eyeballs. Market forces are unstoppable no matter how much you dislike the new reality...."
The challenge is going to be for the advertiser to find a way to reach their potential customers in the future.
Why do advertisers still spend money on Newspaper
I believe it is mostly tradition. It also has to do with what's working. If you spend a significant portion of your advertising dollars on Newspaper advertising, then I hope the people you want to reach are still reading the newspaper and seeing your ad.
If you are trying to reach the folks that no longer (or never were) regular newspaper readers, than simply don't do it.
I'm not really picking on the newspaper business, I'm just looking at the research of the past and present, combined with future trends.
By the way, if you sell newspaper advertising, then the page you should be charging a premium is the obit page and the page facing the obits. Want to double that income potential? Split the obits on two pages starting with an odd, then an even number page. Now you have 4 pages that you can sell for top dollar.
Right now the most expensive is usually page 3A. If you want to reach the traditional heavy newspaper advertiser that is typically age 50 plus, then do what I am suggesting. Right now it will cost you less per inch and you'll get repeat exposure!
But like I started to say, the newspaper business as we know it is dying off. Here's a report that shows why:
Fully two-thirds of Americans - 67% - say traditional journalism is out of touch with what they want from news, and for nearly half of Americans the internet is now the top source of news, according to a new We Media/Zogby Interactive online survey.
and:
Just 7% of those age 18-29 said they get most of their news from newspapers, while more than twice as many (17%) of those age 65+ list newspapers as their top source of news and information.
Read the full report at MarketingCharts.com
Niching a Search Engine
Do you settle for being number 5 or do you find a way to be #1?
That must have been the question asked by the folks at Ask.com.
Looks like they are going with option 2. Still it's going to be hard to overcome Google even in the target market they are trying to create.
I predict, they'll lose too much money trying to re-brand themselves at this stage of the game. But like the political pollsters, we'll have to wait and see.
Read more:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - In a dramatic about-face, Ask.com is abandoning its effort to outshine Internet search leader Google Inc. (GOOG) and will instead focus on a narrower market consisting of married women looking for help managing their lives.
As part of the new direction outlined Tuesday, Ask will lay off about 40 employees, or 8 percent of its work force.
With the shift, the Oakland-based company will return to its roots by concentrating on finding answers to basic questions about recipes, hobbies, children's homework, entertainment and health.
The decision to cater to married women primarily living in the southern and midwestern United States comes after Ask spent years trying to build a better all-purpose search engine than Google.
The quest intensified after Internet conglomerate InterActiveCorp bought Ask and its affiliated Web sites for $2.3 billion in 2005. But Ask.com remained an also-ran, despite spending tens of millions of dollars on an advertising blitz about dozens of new products that impressed many industry analysts.
Through January, Ask ran the Internet's fifth largest search engine in the United States with a 4.5 percent market share, according to comScore Media Metrix. Google dominates the industry with a 58.5 percent share.
"No matter what (Ask) did, it just wasn't enough to get people to leave Google," said Chris Winfield, who runs a search engine consulting firm, 10e20. "This looks they are raising the white flag."
Jim Safka, who became Ask's chief executive two months ago, predicted the retooling will breathe new life into the search engine.
"Everyone at Ask is excited about our clear focus and the trajectory-changing results it will deliver," he said in a statement.
Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li said Ask's new strategy could help boost the company's profits because married women - particularly mothers - dictate many household spending decisions, making them a prime advertising target.
"It's a smart move," she said. "I still think Ask has great technology, but it's just really hard to fight against Google."
With Ask scaling back, the online search market could winnow to two dominant players, Google and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Now third in the market, Microsoft is trying to buy Yahoo Inc. (YHOO), which runs the second largest search engine, for about $40 billion.
Ask's inability to increase its market share had spurred widespread speculation that Barry Diller, InterActiveCorp's chief executive, might hire Google to run the search engine's results to save money. Google already posts text-based ads on Ask and InterActiveCorp's other Web sites in a five-year deal that Diller expects to generate about $3.5 billion.
New York-based InterActiveCorp plans to break itself into five separate companies later this year. Ask will remain under Diller's control at InterActiveCorp.
When it first started out in 1996, Ask positioned itself as a search engine that could spit out answers to requests that were posed as natural-language questions instead of being entered as a string of loosely related words.
But the search engine, then known as AskJeeves, frequently misinterpreted requests and produced nonsensical answers that triggered widespread ridicule.
After investing in more sophisticated technology, Ask tried to reposition itself as a cutting-edge alternative to Google and even dropped its cartoonish mascot - a genteel butler named Jeeves - in an effort to be taken more seriously.
Even after adding more bells and whistles, Ask still primarily appealed to women who used the search engine primarily to get simple answers. Women are also a familiar demographic for Safka, who was chief executive of InterActiveCorp's online dating site, Match.com, before taking the reins at Ask.
Li predicted many married women and mothers will be thrilled to have a search engine focusing on their interests. "It's not so much that these women have simple questions," she said. "It's just that they are so busy that they need fast answers."
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Ben & Jerry's Exclusive Interview Coming Soon
UPDATE!!! If Google sent you here, then click here for the Interview.
Yeah, I don't have it totally ready yet, but here's what's coming up...
February 25th, Bob Nicholson & Susan Imler interviewed Jerry Greenfield, co founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.
It was aired on Bob's radio show, Your Business Matters which airs Saturday Mornings at 8am eastern on WGL Radio.
I will take the time to "You Tube It", by adding some picures, most likely this weekend. It will be in three or 4 parts. As soon as it's up, I'll also post it here.
I saw Jerry tonight at IPFW and I'll write more about that one day too.
Think you have a Big Screen? Look at THIS!
Tuesday I passed along info about Digital Signage. Now there's more in the news from Ad Week:
Billboards Fuse Old, New Media
LOS ANGELES It's not as dramatic as the futuristic world imagined in 1982's Blade Runner that had Harrison Ford seemingly unable to escape high-tech signage promoting anything that could be advertised, but digital billboards nevertheless have descended on Los Angeles and other big cities. Wednesday, Clear Channel Outdoor is launching its third network of digital billboards in L.A., and for the first time they'll feature breaking headlines bought and paid for by a major newspaper: the Los Angeles Times. The billboards still run static photos, as opposed to video, though the images can be changed on the fly, perfect for selecting interesting stories that the newspaper will want to tout throughout the day, accompanied by the suggestion to read all about it in the newspaper or at its Web site. more »
Beer, Brands and Your place in the world
Time after time (not the song sung by Cyndi Lauper), I continue to see how there is always room for growth.
The key is not to be a copycat, but to be an innovater, and create something that either people want or need, even if they don't know it yet.
Find your niche, and become the leader in that niche. Get as specific and narrow as possible.
Beware of Brand-extensions. Instead create a new brand. General Motors did not rise to be a power house (years ago) by selling their vehicles as General Motors cars and trucks, but instead marketed their individual brands which grew and competed with each other. Chevy vs. Pontiac. Oldsmobile vs. Cadillac.
Prince never sang about his "Little Red General Motors Car"
Springsteen never sang about his "Pink General Motors Car"
You get the picture.
But then in the name of cost savings and consolidation, many of the cars started looking the same, and they were the same except for the logo on the tail end of the car. This is one of the overlooked downfalls of General Motors marketing.
Beer. Those of you that drink it, probably have your favorite brand. So how does a start up in this business have a chance? Read this:
Crafting a Beer Strategy
Despite modest growth throughout the total beer category, the microbrew/craft segment is exploding. Among the factors fueling this growth are changing consumer taste profiles and a new generation of adult drinkers who prefer more flavor and variety.
"Craft beers are in vogue and are achieving status in the wine industry," said Matt Paduano, vice president of information at Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes, with 80-plus stores headquartered in Canastota, N.Y. "Beer is no longer limited to two descriptions: tastes great and less filling.
"Wine snobs are now being joined by beer snobs," he added. "These craft customers are most likely not loyal to any brand, but are trying a wide variety of offerings that keep hitting the market."
While Paduano noted the industry will always have its domestic light beer drinkers, a small percentage of these consumers has begun to explore other brands and flavors in the beer category, he said.
"Our craft beer sales are at 2.9 percent of total alcohol beverage sales, although this is a 105 percent increase over last year," Paduano said, noting drastic changes in the beer industry as of late.
"Some examples of this include manufacturer consolidation such as the Molson/Coors merger followed by [SAB]Miller picking that up, and Budweiser picking up much of InBev," he said.
Meanwhile, consumers have been trying mightily to boost beer sales. "Although last year showed an increase in beer consumption, the industry has been flat," Paduano said.
Jacksons Food Stores, based in Meridian, Idaho, has also enjoyed microbrew and import success in the past few years, said Mark Wilcox, category manager at the 93-store chain. "We feature, with a priceoff and display, one brand from each of these two categories every month. We have found that it is not necessary to run deep discounts on these brands, as price is not the driving factor in these categories. It is also important to stay on top of the new brands and flavor profiles. The wheat beers and IPAs -- such as Redhook Longhammer IPA and Coor's Blue Moon -- seem to be the hot flavors at this time, but that could change tomorrow."
During the winter, Jacksons adds a shelf of seasonal beers from the major microbreweries, a successful strategy. These brands include Deschutes Jubelale and Widmer Snowplow. The chain also added more 12-packs to the category. "[They] bring in a nice dollar ring with higher margins," Wilcox said. "We have also seen renewed interest in some of the nontraditional import brands as they are starting to do some pretty heavy advertising, such as Guinness. But don't forget about Corona and Heineken, as these are the drivers in the import category."
Space Program
Miller Oil Co., in Norfolk, Va., like many retailers, has a limited amount of cooler space for craft and microbrews, but offers a small assortment of Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada and the like. The Miller Oil leadership recognizes the subcategory's potential, said Jack Trebilcock, category manager for the chain, with 38 stores in Virginia and seven stores in Florida.
Like many c-stores around the country, Miller Oil's best sellers are the time-honored favorites: Bud Light 12-pack bottles. The traditional beers are the mainstays of the cooler, although Trebilcock said he would expand the craft beer line in the next beer reset.
"With an average of eight total doors, four are dedicated to carbonated soft drinks and noncarbonated beverages, and the other four to beer. Four shelves are merchandised with import/craft and craft only having a couple facings, depending on the store's demographics," he said.
Trebilcock summed up the analyses and sentiments of several retailers. "There is not a lot of fluff space once you place all the core brands -- Bud, Miller and Coors," he said. "However, I am hoping to get an additional shelf or two for the others. I want to do this because I have past experience that when you have a good selection of import/craft, you draw a different clientele that has a little more disposable income and might spend it elsewhere in the store.
"Import/craft beers are also popular with the younger drinking population -- they enjoy more flavor and some variety. There have also been a lot of articles about craft beers' popularity and I want to be in the game and enjoy the higher register rings and gross profit dollars."
All hope is not pinned on craft or specialty beers, however. Malternatives have performed well at Nice N Easy.
"As you know, we do not sell hard liquor in our stores but have found some success with the liquor brand names, such as Smirnoff and Bacardi, of malt beverages. Smirnoff, Mike's Lemonade, Johny Bootlegger and Sparks are malt products that have generated success for the chain," Paduano said, adding that he expects to see more entries in this arena.
"Smirnoff was the first to develop a following and is one of the few still standing," he continued. "Mike's Hard Lemonades and the Twisted Teas have both done very well as of late with new flavor introductions that keep sales increasing. Bacardi has fallen drastically and except for its Mojito flavor, will be discontinued this year."
Additionally, Nice N Easy had seen large sales increases in single-serve, 24-ounce cans, and 22- and 32-ounce bottles, Paduano reported. "This is a very profitable segment for the retailer. [Another] trend is the migration to 30-packs from 12- and 18-[packs]. This is partly due to the fact that price sensitive consumers are drawn to this package because both distributors and retailers have cut margins on these sizes and the consumer is responding. The light category continues to increase, although the 'ultra light' category has stabilized somewhat. The sole player left is the same one that started this trend -- Michelob Ultra."
Spiked
Leave it to the malternative segment to use an outlaw marketing approach. One brand taps into a Prohibition-era image: Johny Bootlegger. Paduano said the product's success surprises him, and that it does well at most locations. The product comes in flavors such as Alcatraz Sour Apple, Machine Gun Melon and Sing Sing Sour Grape. The eye-catching, old-fashioned bottle is unconventional and nonconformist: "These are difficult to merchandise," Paduano said. "Door suction racks are the main means of displaying the products."
"Our malternative beverage sales are 6.5 percent of total alcohol beverage sales, and that subcategory was up 20.5 percent over last year," he said. At Miller Oil Co., malternatives make up 1 percent of beer and wine sales, according to Trebilcock. Jacksons Food Stores' Wilcox said, "We offer several malternative brands with the Mike's and Smirnoff brands leading the category. The category was up 5.32 percent over the last year, which represents 3.25 percent of the total category sales."
Paduano cited another alcohol beverage trend, the higher-alcohol, caffeine-spiked "energy beers."
"We devoted a shelf per store when they came out two years ago but now have settled with the top-selling ones -- Sparks and Steel Reserve," he said. Sparks, owned by SABMiller, has not only caffeine but also ginseng, guarana and taurine. "The Sparks 16-ounce can is by far our No. 1 selling single beer unit and the line extensions off this name are picking up steam."
(Source: Convenience Store News Online, 3/4/08)
Scott Ginsburg is the Name Tag Guy
This is the Name Tag Guy, whose 50 Networking tips I'm sharing everyday.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Remembering a classic ad
Almost as good as the Mean Joe Green Coke TV Commercial. Or Maybe Better?
Great Advice from Jim Meisenheimer
In his latest newsletter Jim address the idea of a home office, that is an office in your house.
Some of his ideas are appropriate if you don't have an office in your home.
Read on:
Selling In The Home Office
If you're in the selling profession you probably spend at least some time working in your home office.
During my 4 mile bike ride this morning, I started thinking about home offices. I can't explain why I just started thinking about home offices. And then I started to think about what makes a good office set-up for professional salespeople?
During my sales training programs I often ask salespeople how many days a week do they work from a home office. You'd be amazed at the responses I've gotten. It runs the gamut from zero to three days a week. Different businesses have different requirements and protocols for their salespeople.
Whether you spend a half day a week or three days a week selling from your home office it's important that you set it up in a way that maximizes your productivity.
I remember years ago my first office was tucked into a corner of my one-bedroom apartment in New York City. The desk consisted of two 2-draw file cabinets with an old door placed over the file cabinets to serve as a desktop. Those were the days.
It scares me to think about all the selling tools I didn't have when I started my first sales job. Whether you're just starting out in the selling profession or are a seasoned sales veteran here's a list of things to consider for your home office.
First things first!
1. Ideally, you want to have a dedicated room for your office. I realize that's not always possible but it's always a practical idea.
2. A good size desk with a return for your computer. I think, the bigger the better. Remember, this will serve as command central for your business.
3. Good lighting is important especially if your work includes a lot of reading.
4. A desktop telephone and a headset. Wearing a headset enables you to become more animated and energetic on all important telephone calls. This can have a big impact on your selling results.
5. Color-coded filing system. Use red folders for high priorities, yellow folders for medium priorities, and use blue folders for low priorities. Use a desk organizer for these priorities folders.
6. A desktop computer with a flat-panel 19 inch screen is ideal for most applications.
7. You should also consider the following: a fax machine, a copier, a scanner, a printer, a color printer, and the postage meter if you do frequent mailings. You'd be amazed how much time you can waste going to and from the post office.
8. Since time is money I also suggest a clock and a timer to keep you on time.
9. You might also want to consider a video cam and a digital tape recorder. While you're at it a digital camera.
10. Within arms reach I also suggest having a dictionary and a thesaurus. Open the dictionary and cross out the following words - can't, impossible, hope, and discount. Tomorrow I'm flying to California. I'm not hoping the pilot can get me there, I'm expecting him to get me there - that's a big difference. And remember, when you're selling, you get what you expect!
11. Depending on how much time you spend in your office and of course your budget, you should have a very comfortable chair.
12. A white board - the bigger the better. It's a great place to post your goals and your results. Written goals make things happen for salespeople, so why not put them up in neon lights so you can see them every working day.
13. The more time you spend in your home office the more important this is. Fill your office with things that inspire and motivate you.
14. You should also have a bookcase filled with inspirational, motivational, informational, and educational books. The size of your bookcase is a pretty good predictor of your selling success.
You should also buy a couple of big three ring binders. Buy a couple of reams of 3-hole copy paper. There's a lot of good information available as downloads that you can print and file in these binders.
Clutter affects creativity. Every three months toss away everything in your office that isn't essential for your home office productivity.
As time goes by continue to add things to your office that make you more comfortable and more productive.
Just don't get too comfortable in your office. Do everything you can to optimize your face-to-face selling time with your sales prospects and customers - that's where the real action is.
Start selling more today and everyday . . .
Start Selling More Sales Training
Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202
Phone: (800) 266-1268
Fax: (941) 907-0441 fax
Email: jim@meisenheimer.com
Website: http://www.startsellingmore.com Sphere: Related Content
Search Engine Branding
Google continues to lead the search engine business as the following report shows. How did they do this? According to Seth Godin and something I read this morning in his Purple Cow book, it's about the way Google kept things simple and clean. Yahoo became complicated.
Google is to search engine as Kleenex is to facial tissue. However I see a danger on the horizon. As Google expands into areas other than internet searches, they may loose their identity. If they take all their new projects and give them names other than Google, then they can preserve the strength that Google currently has. They did it with G-Mail successfully, where as Google Mail would have taken them down the path that Yahoo Mail took Yahoo.
Lesson for all of us to learn: Make your name mean something, and keep it clean. Now here's the report from MarketingCharts.com:
(Click on the Charts to make them bigger)
Google Takes 66% of US Searches, Ask.com Share Up 18% YOY
Google accounted for 66.44% of all US searches in the four weeks ended February 23, while Ask.com increased its share of searches 18% year over year - from 3.52% of searches in Feb. ‘07 to 4.16% in Feb. ‘08, according to Hitwise.
Yahoo Search and MSN Search, second and third, received 20.59% and 6.95% of US searches, respectively, in February.
The remaining 46 search engines in the Hitwise Search Engine Analysis Tool accounted for 1.87%, Hitwise said.
Google Source of Traffic to Key Industries
Search engines - in particular Google - remain the primary way that internet users navigate to key industry categories.
From Feb. ‘08 to Feb. ‘07, double-digit increases were recorded in the share of traffic from search engines to the Travel, Entertainment, Business and Finance, and Sports categories.
Sphere: Related ContentDigital Signage
In Ohio and Texas today, the attention is focused on the Presidential Primaries. Well here's some information from those two states about another poll taken by Arbitron regarding Billboards, the digital variety. This comes from Mediapost:
Arbitron: Public Likes Digital Billboards
by Erik Sass, Tuesday, Mar 4, 2008 8:00 AM ET
DIGITAL BILLBOARDS GOT TWO BOOSTS yesterday. The first came from an Arbitron study which found the public is broadly favorable to the electronic displays, valuing them for their ability to inform drivers about news, weather, emergency conditions and "Amber Alerts" for missing children. The Arbitron study surveyed motorists from the
According to the Arbitron survey of 402 adults in the
After seeing an ad on a digital billboard, roughly 20% said they were motivated to visit a featured store, and 15% said they would visit a featured restaurant. Overall, roughly 90% of motorists said they paid attention to digital billboard ads at least some of the time.
Digital billboards actually benefit other media, the Arbitron survey found. Thirty-five percent of respondents were reminded of a local radio station, and 28% noted a TV show to watch because of digital billboard ads.
Last year, another Cleveland-area study provided ammunition to outdoor advertising companies that want to create new digital installations, but face resistance from authorities that fear the eye-catching displays may distract drivers, causing accidents.
In June 2007, a study of automobile accidents in
Finally, last week the Texas Transportation Commission handed outdoor advertising companies another victory with its decision to allow digital billboard installation statewide, with approval from county and municipal authorities.
According to the new rules, which take effect June 1, no video or motion is allowed on the digital billboards, which must only display static images. The TTC's decision was motivated partly by the digital displays' ability to convey information during an emergency and for Amber Alerts.
Starbucks Updates
Is it the people that work behind the counter or the ones in charge from their ivory tower that make a difference?
Both, really. Starbucks did their front line retraining session a week ago. Now comes this news from Mediapost about changes at the top:
STARBUCKS COFFEE CO. HAS PROMOTED Cliff Burrows, currently president, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), to president, Starbucks Coffee U.S., effective March 12. Burrows succeeds Launi Skinner, who resigned to spend more time with her husband and two daughters.
READ MORE
And if you want to read even more about the Starbucks front line experience, go spend some time here and check out the links too
UPDATE. Now for the fun of it, check out this film on visiting 171 Starbucks in one day.
A Marketing Secret that can Increase your Business 50% or more
What prompted this topic was the experience I had recently when I ordered a burger for my wife from Rally's. The woman that took my order and my money and gave me my food smiled and created a positive feeling over something as simple as a fast food burger.
I have a love/hate relationship with certain businesses. 4 out of 5 days, I will do a fast food breakfast. McDonald's (which is one of my clients) was one of those places that I was beginning to hate. The service was unpredictable. And after too many long waits, I could not rely on them.
So I went down the street to Arby's, where I found a similar breakfast food and they had my favorite soft drink, Diet Mt. Dew. Fast and friendly. Then things changed, different people running the drive through, service went downhill.
By the way, I tried Starbucks but their breakfast sandwiches were terrible and overpriced.
Now, I have learned which days I can go to McDonald's and get good service and which days I can go to Arby's and get good service and which days I should just eat a bowl of cereal before I leave the house.
Most folks would not do this. They would put up with poor service only until they found a better alternative and never come back.
There is a way to avoid all this as a business owner and manager, and you can increase your bottom line by 50% or more over time. Click here to read more
Monday, March 03, 2008
Creepy Real Estate Commercial
I saw this over the weekend and it violates almost every rule of successful advertising.
- It is weird, and I don't want weird when I'm looking for a real estate agent.
- It is generic. I don't know who Coldwell or Banker are, and I don't really care.
- It doesn't create a positive emotional bond.
But it is totally off base in what they need to do to get listings and sell real estate. Do you agree?
Sphere: Related Content
6 letter word for Loser
Nearly 3 months ago both myself and Anthony Juliano of the SoundBite Back blog wrote about Hasbro & Mattel wanting to halt the Scrabulous on line game for trademark infringement.
We wrote about how this was a marketing blunder, (being a bully), and instead they should fork over the cash and buyout the Scrabulous folks and be a hero.
It appears that Hasbro & Mattel are stuck in their old world thinking and ignoring the new realities according to this story that appeared over the weekend:
"...The threat of legal action has not gained the companies many admirers. Many Scrabulous fans, some of whom say they bought the board game for the first time after playing the online version on Facebook, call the companies' approach heavy-handed and out of touch...."
Look at that, Scrabulous is HELPING Hasbro & Mattel SELL THE ORIGINAL BOARD GAME!
You can read the complete story here.
(and the 6 letter word.... take your pick Hasbro or Mattel).
The News is in the News
Remember Family Feud, where the famous words were, "Survey says..."?
I get lot's of research or surveys, that I read and sometimes post of they are on the topic of marketing and advertising trends.
This report is on how we get our news, read on:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe traditional journalism is out of touch, and nearly half are turning to the Internet to get their news, according to a new survey.
While most people think journalism is important to the quality of life, 64 percent are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities, a We Media/Zogby Interactive online poll showed.
"That's a really encouraging reflection of people who care A) about journalism and B) understand that it makes a difference to their lives," said Andrew Nachison, of iFOCOS, a Virginia-based think tank which organized a forum in Miami where the findings were presented.
Nearly half of the 1,979 people who responded to the survey said their primary source of news and information is the Internet, up from 40 percent just a year ago. Less than one third use television to get their news, while 11 percent turn to radio and 10 percent to newspapers.
More than half of those who grew up with the Internet, those 18 to 29, get most of their news and information online, compared to 35 percent of people 65 and older. Older adults are the only group that favors a primary news source other than the Internet, with 38 percent selecting television.
Howard Finberg, of the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, said the public often doesn't understand that the sources they are accessing online such as Google News and Yahoo News pull stories from newspapers, television, wire services and other media sources.
"It's delivered in a non-traditional form, that doesn't necessarily mean there isn't traditional journalism underneath it," he explained.
But Finberg said the study does support the belief among many large media companies that focusing on local issues is important to their journalistic and economic survival.
Sphere: Related ContentSeth Godin's Take on the Music Biz
From his Blog (includes a link to a free PDF):
The live music talk
As promised, I've put together a PDF transcript of the talk I did about the music industry. (click to get the PDF). I know it's not a video, but I'm afraid this is the best I can offer right now. I find that if you read it out loud and wave your arms a lot, you get the entire effect.
Have fun.
Women Business Owners
From My Monday Email came this not surprising bit of research:
Monday, March 3, 2008
Surprising (to some) Facts About Women-Owned BusinessesThe Center for Women's Business Research, whose mission it is to provide data-driven knowledge to help advance the economic, social and political impact of women business owners and their enterprises worldwide, offers a potpourri of data for Nearly 10.4 million firms are owned by women (50% or more), employing more than 12.8 million people, and generating $1.9 trillion in sales.
The overall picture, according to the CFWBR, shows that:
- For the past two decades, majority women-owned firms have continued to grow at around two times the rate of all firms (42% vs. 24%).
- Women-owned firms, account for 41% of all privately held firms.
- There are 2.4 million firms owned 50% or more by women of color in the U.S., employing 1.6 million people and generating nearly $230 billion in sales annually.
- Between 1997 and 2006 the number of privately held firms 51% or more owned by women of color grew five times faster than all privately held firms (120% vs. 24%).
- 77% of Asian women employer firms in operation in 1997 remained in business in 2000, the highest survival rate of all women-owned firms
Additionally, says the overview:
- 83% of women business owners are personally involved in selecting and purchasing technology for their businesses.
- 61% of Women business owners use technology to integrate the responsibilities of work and home, while 44% use technology to enable employees to work offsite or to have flexible work schedules.
- 75% of all firms do not have employees, while 81% of women-owned firms are without employees, for a total of 5.4 million firms.
- Sales revenue increased 66% for women-owned firms without employees from 1997-2004, compared to 42% for all such firms.
Women and men business owners have different management styles. Women emphasize relationship building as well as fact gathering and are more likely to consult with experts, employees, and fellow business owners than are men. And:
- Women owners who plan to sell their business are more concerned than their men counterparts about the buyer's identity, personality, and background (72% vs. 39%), the buyer's plans for the business (79% vs. 52%), and plans for current employees (86% vs. 61%)
- Women business owners are nearly twice as likely as men business owners to intend to pass the business on to a daughter or daughters (37$ vs. 19%).
For more information, please visit CFWBR here.
Sphere: Related ContentSunday, March 02, 2008
Another free e-book
I've added another free marketing e-book, Advertising in a Recession. It's by Jim Taszarek. Download it and read it at your convenience, but don't wait too long. Get it by Clicking Here.
E-commerce trends
8 years ago, my 68 year old mother did not trust the internet for shopping. She was afraid of giving out her credit card number even over a secure connection. Yet she would freely and without hesitation give her info to a person over the phone when she placed a catalog order over a toll free phone number.
It may have been her generation, but what it really was that prevented her from shopping over the internet, was her comfort level. It was a new and scary proposition for her compared to her previous experience. She was not alone and still there are many that have that fear. Don't try and convince them, instead reach out to those that are already comfortable with e-commerce.
Here's a study that came in my email this week:
Revealing Personal Information Still Inhibits Online Shopping
According to a Pew Internet Project survey, released in February, 2008, most online Americans view online shopping as a way to save time and a convenient way to buy products. At the same time, most internet users express discomfort over sending personal or credit card information over the internet.
- 78% of online Americans agree that shopping online is convenient.
- 68% of online Americans say they think online shopping saves them time.
- 75% of Internet users agree with the statement that they do not like sending personal or credit card information over the internet.
John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of the Pew Internet Project and author of the report, says "These inconsistent notions about the online shopping environment show that... people's confidence in the security of online shopping remains as an issue... "
More specifically, the report says:
- If the three-quarters of internet users who agree that they don't like sending personal or credit card information online felt more confident about doing this, the share of the internet population shopping online would be 7 percentage points higher than the current average of 66%, or 73%.
- If those who disagree that online shopping is convenient felt otherwise, the share of the internet population shopping online would be 3 percentage points higher than the current average (or 69% instead of 66%)
- If those who disagree that online shopping saves time believed that they could save time by e-shopping, the share of the online population shopping online would be 2 percentage points higher than the current average (or 68% instead of 66%).
- Higher broadband deployment would also drive up the size of the e-shopper cohort by 6 percentage points.
These estimates above are independent effects, notes the report, showing the impact when the factors noted above, as well as other demographic and socio-economic impacts are held constant. The study finds that demographic factors such as race or gender have no significant impact on predicting levels of online shopping.
The report finds that two-thirds of online Americans have at one time bought a product online, and estimates that the share of internet users buying products online could be as much as 3 percentage points higher, or 69% if online Americans did not have such high levels of concern about personal or credit card information on the internet. Low-income Americans are most likely to express concerns about providing personal information online, and least likely to see time-savings or convenience in e-commerce.
- Among internet users in homes with annual incomes below $25,000 annually, 44% strongly agree that they don't like sending credit card information online, twice the 22% share that strongly agrees that online shopping is convenient.
- For those in households with annual incomes above $100,000, 25% say they strongly agree that they don't like sending credit card information over the internet for online transactions, while 36% strongly agree that online shopping is convenient.
Horrigan said, "...many (low-income people) see risk in the world of e-commerce, not convenience, so they avoid online shopping applications that might help them manage their lives."
In broad terms, the report found that:
- The number of Americans who have ever bought anything online has more than doubled since 2000, from 22% in June 2000 to 49% in September 2007. That amounts to 66% of Americans with internet access who have bought products online.
- People are more likely to do background research on a product than execute the purchase online; some 60% of all Americans say they have used the internet for product-related research in September 2007, up from 35% who had done this in June 2000.
- Some 39% of Americans now say that they have used the internet for banking, up from 27% in February 2005.
- For online classifieds such as Craig's List, 24% of Americans report having used them in the September 2007 survey, an increase from 14% who said this in February 2005.
| Attitudes About Online Shopping: By Household Income (% of internet users in each age group who "strongly agree" with statement) | |||||
|
| < $25K | $25K-$40K | $40K-$60K | $60K-$100K | > $100K |
| Upside of online shopping | |||||
| The internet is the best place to buy items that are hard to find | 26% | 23% | 25% | 28% | 32% |
| Shopping online is convenient | 22 | 24 | 22 | 28 | 36 |
| Shopping online saves me time | 19 | 19 | 18 | 24 | 31 |
| The internet is the best place to find bargains | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 13 |
| Downside of online shopping | |||||
| I don't like giving my credit card number or personal information online | 44% | 32% | 36% | 35% | 25% |
| I prefer to see the things I buy before I buy them | 39 | 24 | 32 | 26 | 22 |
| Shopping online is complicated | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, September 2007 | |||||
For additional information and access to a PDF file, please visit PEW here.
According to a Pew Internet Project survey, released in February, 2008, most online Americans view online shopping as a way to save time and a convenient way to buy products. At the same time, most internet users express discomfort over sending personal or credit card information over the internet.
- 78% of online Americans agree that shopping online is convenient.
- 68% of online Americans say they think online shopping saves them time.
- 75% of Internet users agree with the statement that they do not like sending personal or credit card information over the internet.
John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of the Pew Internet Project and author of the report, says "These inconsistent notions about the online shopping environment show that... people's confidence in the security of online shopping remains as an issue... "
More specifically, the report says:
- If the three-quarters of internet users who agree that they don't like sending personal or credit card information online felt more confident about doing this, the share of the internet population shopping online would be 7 percentage points higher than the current average of 66%, or 73%.
- If those who disagree that online shopping is convenient felt otherwise, the share of the internet population shopping online would be 3 percentage points higher than the current average (or 69% instead of 66%)
- If those who disagree that online shopping saves time believed that they could save time by e-shopping, the share of the online population shopping online would be 2 percentage points higher than the current average (or 68% instead of 66%).
- Higher broadband deployment would also drive up the size of the e-shopper cohort by 6 percentage points.
These estimates above are independent effects, notes the report, showing the impact when the factors noted above, as well as other demographic and socio-economic impacts are held constant. The study finds that demographic factors such as race or gender have no significant impact on predicting levels of online shopping.
The report finds that two-thirds of online Americans have at one time bought a product online, and estimates that the share of internet users buying products online could be as much as 3 percentage points higher, or 69% if online Americans did not have such high levels of concern about personal or credit card information on the internet. Low-income Americans are most likely to express concerns about providing personal information online, and least likely to see time-savings or convenience in e-commerce.
- Among internet users in homes with annual incomes below $25,000 annually, 44% strongly agree that they don't like sending credit card information online, twice the 22% share that strongly agrees that online shopping is convenient.
- For those in households with annual incomes above $100,000, 25% say they strongly agree that they don't like sending credit card information over the internet for online transactions, while 36% strongly agree that online shopping is convenient.
Horrigan said, "...many (low-income people) see risk in the world of e-commerce, not convenience, so they avoid online shopping applications that might help them manage their lives."
In broad terms, the report found that:
- The number of Americans who have ever bought anything online has more than doubled since 2000, from 22% in June 2000 to 49% in September 2007. That amounts to 66% of Americans with internet access who have bought products online.
- People are more likely to do background research on a product than execute the purchase online; some 60% of all Americans say they have used the internet for product-related research in September 2007, up from 35% who had done this in June 2000.
- Some 39% of Americans now say that they have used the internet for banking, up from 27% in February 2005.
- For online classifieds such as Craig's List, 24% of Americans report having used them in the September 2007 survey, an increase from 14% who said this in February 2005.
| Attitudes About Online Shopping: By Household Income (% of internet users in each age group who "strongly agree" with statement) | |||||
|
| < $25K | $25K-$40K | $40K-$60K | $60K-$100K | > $100K |
| Upside of online shopping | |||||
| The internet is the best place to buy items that are hard to find | 26% | 23% | 25% | 28% | 32% |
| Shopping online is convenient | 22 | 24 | 22 | 28 | 36 |
| Shopping online saves me time | 19 | 19 | 18 | 24 | 31 |
| The internet is the best place to find bargains | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 13 |
| Downside of online shopping | |||||
| I don't like giving my credit card number or personal information online | 44% | 32% | 36% | 35% | 25% |
| I prefer to see the things I buy before I buy them | 39 | 24 | 32 | 26 | 22 |
| Shopping online is complicated | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, September 2007 | |||||
For additional information and access to a PDF file, please visit PEW here.
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