Thursday Night Marketing News

Clickables from Mediapost...

Automotive

Nissan Goes Mobile For Cube Launch

by Karl Greenberg

Robert Brown, senior manager, Nissan Marketing Communications, says the Cube Mobile Hub aligns with the campaign's positioning of the car as its own mobile hub. "It's a mobile destination for all things Cube. It really is part of our consumer insight that social media and mobile devices are a big part of [younger consumers'] culture." ... Read the whole story > >

Technology

NPD Finds Rise In Awareness Of Blu-ray Format

by Aaron Baar

"We're seeing the impact of cost-reduction and increase in available content, as well as the penetration of high-definition televisions driving the increase," says Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at NPD Group. "Even as options expand for accessing movies digitally, Blu-ray is carrying forward the widespread appeal of DVD into the high-definition marketplace." ... Read the whole story > >

Automotive

Ford Dangles 'Idol' Finale In Promo

by Mark Green

Ford is also working with an agency called House Party to organize 1,000 private house parties for the night of the finale. Local Ford dealers will loan new 2010 Ford Fusions to party hosts for the evening. ... Read the whole story > >

Research

Word Of Mouth Goes Far Beyond Social Media

by Karlene Lukovitz

Overall, about half of WOM is tied to marketing communications efforts, and more than 80% relates to the experiences that consumers have with brands, says Keller Fay COO Brad Fay. Whatever media or channels are used, "today, the test of effective marketing is whether it drives conversation," he says. ... Read the whole story > >

NHL Email Campaign Takes Center Ice

by David Goetzl

The NHL has two people on its email team and an email list of some 1 million fans. Besides "Ticket on Sale" messages, it sends out 62 versions of weekly emails -- along with ones promoting the likes of NHL online programming under the e-commerce umbrella and tune-in messages for telecasts such as the Winter Classic on NBC. ... Read the whole story > >

Marketers Search For Social Media Metric

by David Goetzl

Marketers place a lifetime value on customers with addresses on its email list based on their purchasing activity. But how do you place a similar value on a person active on a company's Facebook or MySpace page? With social networking booming, marketers are now in hot pursuit of the metric. ... Read the whole story > >

Chrysler Launches May Incentives

Tide Bottle Caps Going Yellow

Anheuser, Live Nation Re-Up Sponsorship

Comcast Joins Green Day Blitz

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Less Annoying

20 years ago, I lived in Metro Detroit.

It was a bit of culture shock for this kid from Indiana at first, mostly the way the clerks at convenience stores were barricaded behind bullet proof glass.

That wasn't the way it was where I was from. They would talk to you from a little microphone and you'd put your money in the drawer.

This morning I came across a blog post from Perry Belcher about how Target has become less annoying. I wonder if they have this policy in Detroit?

I went into my local Target last night to buy summer clothes for my sons Sam & Ben. I spent more than $500 and paid with a credit card, the cool part is… They never asked for my I.D. For $500 bucks.

I had noticed this seem to be a new policy at Target on smaller purchases.

Kudos to you Target. The first retailer to realize when you don’t treat your customers like criminals the tend to like that.

I’m sure Target will get hit with some fraud but the upside in sales will far outweigh the peanuts this new policy will cost.

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New Ad Campaigns

From Amy at Mediapost:

Get cultured and fed, all in the same building. The Stadsschouwburg theatre in Amsterdam recently opened Stanislavski, a restaurant named after theatre director Constantin Stanislavski. Print ads combine vintage and stock photography with items found on the menu. Salmon, boiled eggs and cocktails are offered: being a tortured soul is optional. See creative here, here and here, created by THEY.

Cricket Wireless launched "Dinnertable," a TV spot promoting its $45 a month unlimited wireless plan. The ad shows a teen texting at dinner. Nothing out of the ordinary happens, until she jumps atop the table and sings "Respect," as in respect from her wireless carrier. First off, Mom and Dad most likely pay the girl's cell phone bill and second, the song is outdated for a teenager to spontaneously belt out. See the ad here. Element 79 created the ad and PHD handled the media buy.

JetBlue launched two animated TV spots, "Seat Monster" and "DVD" that showcase why the airline is better than its competitors. Leg room is important for most people; since I'm vertically challenged, I always have leg room. The first spot features a tall man who's confined to cramped quarters while he vigorously works on his laptop. The man seated in front of him moves his seat back, swallowing the man, digesting him, and spitting him out into a JetBlue aircraft, where leg room runs wild. See the ad here. A woman brings a portable DVD player on a flight, which draws attention -- and attempts at friendship -- from her fellow flight mates. This wouldn't be a problem on JetBlue, where passengers have can watch TV on their own individual screens. Watch the ad here. JWT New York created the campaign and MediaCom handled the media buy. Blacklist produced the ads.

Pepsi launched a baseball-themed TV spot to promote itself as the official soft drink of Major League Baseball. The ad is part of the brand's "Refresh Everything" campaign and is reminiscent of a Super Bowl spot from earlier this year. The same song and split screen concept is used, but this time, shots of memorable baseball moments are highlighted. It was great to see Mr. Met from yesteryear make an appearance. Be on the lookout for Ken Griffey, Jr., Jose Reyes and a Yankee love fest that includes Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter and Yankee Stadium, old and new. Watch the ad here. TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles created the campaign and OMD handled the media buy.

ESPN launched a great SportsCenter spot starring St. Louis Cardinal's first baseman Albert Pujols that plays off one of his many nicknames, "The Machine." Anchormen Steve Levy and John Anderson spot Pujols in the ESPN copy room, making copies. They refer to Pujols by his nickname "The Machine," a moniker he strictly denies. "I'm not a machine, I'm just Albert," Pujols says, through his Terminator-esque point of view. The spot ends with the copy machine asking Pujols, "why didn't you eliminate them, Albert?" Good stuff. See the ad here, created by Wieden + Kennedy New York.

Another strange online video debuted from Ray-Ban and its "Never Hide" campaign. An oversized ball of yarn is offloaded onto the hilly streets of San Francisco. Two friends hold one end, while the ball takes the hills of San Fran surprisingly well, even when its path is re-routed when hit by a truck. The more it unravels, the dirtier it begins to look. Oh, and the yarn's surprise center happens to be a Ray-Ban-wearing guy, whose yarn matches his sunglasses. See the video here and a poster here. Cutwater created the video.

The One Club launched a pair of print ads in trade publications to promote a new award that will be distributed tonight at the One Show awards. The "Green Pencil" honors "the one piece or campaign that best represents the highest standards of excellence in the field of environmental advertising." Ad copy is tongue-in-cheek, stating that the award is "only self-serving if you're a planet" and marks "the only time creatives will be rewarded for recycling ideas." And the award itself is crafted from recycled glass! See the ads here and here. BooneOakley created the campaign and media buying was handled in-house.

VERSUS launched two additional TV spots promoting its coverage of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. "One Second" is all it takes to dramatically change the course of a game. This spot intersperses game highlights with copy describing the amount of time it takes to make the playoffs (six months) and how long it takes to make history (one second.) Watch the ad here. I really like "Sudden Life." The ad begins with varying shots of players for the Pittsburgh Penguins; they're clearly angry, frustrated and readying to accept an overtime defeat. Then the magic moment arrives: the Penguins score the winning goal and the bench erupts with excitement. "One second can turn sudden death into sudden life," ends the ad, seen here. The Brooklyn Brothers created the campaign.

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

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Are you a Sales Animal?

From Jill Konrath:

Were Salespeople Ever Really This Bad?

On the Trust Scale, salespeople typically rate near the bottom. It's too bad that stereotypical sales behavior from years ago still haunts us in this profession.

This Badger Car Salesman video manages to show us at our worst. Enjoy!

Many thanks to John Beesley from Eagle Creek Software Services for sharing this with me!

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Wednesday Night Marketing News

A little later than usual as I was out of town the past 30 hours..

The Rubber Hits The Road With NBA Nation

by Karl Greenberg

Coca-Cola, Kia, T-Mobile and Haier America are backing the National Basketball Association's "NBA Nation" grassroots effort. The spring and summer program -- in its third year, with T-Mobile USA and Kia Motors as presenting sponsors -- centers on a mobile, 20,000 square-foot basketball playground holding co-branded consumer activities and competitions visiting eight markets. ... Read the whole story > >

Consol Energy Says Coal, Natural Gas Near Term Necessity

by Aaron Baar

In a new advertising campaign, Consol Energy, a company that supplies coal and natural gas resources to pipelines, tries to make the case that the country cannot -- for the near future anyway -- survive on wind, solar or other alternative power alone. "We're making the point that we're essential to our way of life," says Thomas Hoffman, senior vice president of external affairs. ... Read the whole story > >

Brand Marketing

Major Marketers Join For Contest

by Tanya Irwin

A diverse set of marketers have signed on as participants in the Mofilm User-Generated Content "You to the Power of 12 - U12" competition. The brands are more than just sponsors. Contestants will be creating short films based on guidelines from each of the companies, which include Renaissance Hotels and Resorts, Visa, AT&T N.A., Best Buy, PepsiCo (Doritos), Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Renaissance Hotels and Resorts, Nokia, Philips, Telstra Australia, Unilever (Omo) and Vodafone. ... Read the whole story > >

Kraft Profits Up 10%; Mac 'N Cheese, Pizza Rock On

by Karlene Lukovitz

Kraft reported profits up 10% for first-quarter 2009 to $660 million, for earnings per share of 45 cents, versus $559 million and a 39-cent EPS in last year's first quarter. The results exceeded analysts' projections by five cents. ... Read the whole story > >

Online Retailers Sharpening Marketing Efforts

by Sarah Mahoney

A new survey shows that the tougher economy has online retailers sharpening up their marketing programs as never before, and that most believe this is an ideal time to steal customers from weakened competition. ... Read the whole story > >

McD's Launches McCafe With An Accent On The 'E'

by Karl Greenberg

The new line, starting Tuesday, includes lattes, cappuccinos and mochas. To launch the line, McDonald's is doing ads and giving consumers a chance to win a $50,000 Visa Gift card and other prizes through an online contest and sweepstakes at www.mcdonalds.com/mccafe. ... Read the whole story > >

Avon Reports Sales Gains, Shifts Ad Spending

by Sarah Mahoney

Avon Products says it has been hit hard by fluctuating world currencies, with revenue falling 13% to $2.2 billion. But in local currency, it's reporting a revenue gain of 3% -- and thanks to product launches at the lower end of the price spectrum, a 2% increase in overall beauty sales. ... Read the whole story > >

'Blame It On My Youth': Teens Aren't Quitting The Mall Just Yet

by Karl Greenberg

A new survey of teens commissioned by Seventeen magazine finds that fifty-three percent of respondents of the online survey, via Survey Monkey, a Web-based platform, said their parents give them spending money regularly, and 25% said the parents are giving them less money than last year. Seventy-five percent are getting more or the same amount as last year. And over half are working. ... Read the whole story > >

For New Campaign, Papa John Delivers -- Literally

by Karlene Lukovitz

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Papa John's has launched an ad campaign featuring real footage of founder John Schnatter delivering pizzas to real customers. ... Read the whole story > >

Wachovia Securities Rebranded As Wells Fargo Advisors

Publicis & Hal Riney Get A Shot Of Reposado From Tequila

Sears Vows To Invest In Web

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Rewards

Do you reward your loyal customers?

I'm Worth My Weight in Gold

We all know it: your best customers love it when they are made to feel special. New research that demonstrates just how important status tiers are in loyalty programs. The researchers ran a variety of tests to determine what resonated best with customers in terms of loyalty-status designations. For instance, one test asked potential frequent travelers to pick a preferred hotel among three choices. The only difference among the three "chains" was their loyalty programs:

• Chain A offered no elite status.
• Chain B offered one elite tier for frequent guests (Gold status).
• Chain C offered two elite tiers, one for guests who stayed at least 30 nights (Gold), and one for guests who stayed at least 20 nights (Silver).

The results? All opted for the hotels with rewards programs, and Chain C won big:

• Those who knew they'd qualify for Gold status vastly preferred Chain C, which included the Silver tier.
• Even the "non-elites" preferred Chain C with its two elite tiers.
• The actual benefits offered to the top tiers in Chain C seemed to resonate less than the Gold and Silver status designations.

The lesson for loyalty marketers here? Build in a gold-and-silver-plated snob factor. "A three-tier [loyalty] program [Gold, Silver and no status] is more satisfying to all involved," the authors say, even for customers who don't qualify for rewards—yet.

The Po!nt: Go heavy-metal. Consider using Gold, Silver and no-status designations in your loyalty program: it could boost enrollment.

Source: "Feeling Superior: The Impact of Loyalty Program Structure on Consumers' Perceptions of Status," by Xavier Drèze and Joseph C. Nunes. Journal of Consumer Research, 2009.

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Is it the end? No..

Despite the news about the demise of the auto industry, nobody has seen a trend in reverting to horse-drawn wagons. From RBR.com:

Americans still planning to buy cars

Despite the recession, most American consumers are still planning to buy a car within the next two years. However, a recent consumer sentiment survey by R.L. Polk & Co. also found that car buying plans varied considerably by region of the country. There was also regional disparity on whether the potential car buyers were considering a US auto nameplate.

“With all the doom and gloom in the US auto industry, it’s encouraging that consumers are indicating that they plan to buy a vehicle in the relative near term,” said Lonnie Miller, Polk’s director of industry analysis. The automotive information and marketing solutions firm surveyed approximately 1,400 US auto owners online to gauge consumer sentiment for car buying.

“In fact, more than a quarter of consumers we talked to as of the end of March plan to buy a new car or truck within the next year, even better news for automakers struggling to move excess inventory from dealer showrooms,” noted Miller.

In the Plains states (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota), 62% of consumers plan to purchase a new or used vehicle within the next two years, with 32% planning to buy in the next 12 months. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the March unemployment rate in six of the seven states in this region was below the national average of 8.5%, with Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota reporting March unemployment numbers below 5%.

In the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin), just 51% of consumers say they’ll buy a car or truck within the next two years, the lowest percentage in the country. An inverse link between unemployment and vehicle purchase intention can also be seen in this region. All of the Great Lakes states had March unemployment rates at or above the national average, with Michigan topping the US rate by more than four percentage points.

Polk’s consumer sentiment study contains some positive news for Chrysler, Ford and General Motors: Half of US consumers said they were very or extremely likely to consider a domestic vehicle for their next purchase to support the national economy. 62% of drivers in the Rocky Mountain region (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming) would consider a domestic vehicle, the highest percentage in the country. Consumers in the Great Lakes region and the Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas) also indicate above-average willingness to “buy American.” On the other end of the spectrum, only 44% of consumers in the West (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington) say they’d consider a domestic vehicle.

“The domestic manufacturers have long struggled to change the mindset of consumers in California and other western states regarding American vehicles. Now that the US automakers are facing so many challenges, getting these consumers to consider an American vehicle is even more of an uphill battle,” said Miller.

Likelihood to Purchase Next Vehicle within Next Two Years

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Put down the Shovel

You'll understand as you read these words from Jim:

Start, Stop and Change

You have all the potential in the world -- use it!

Prepare a list of your key selling activities. Things like prospecting, cold calling, asking questions, sales presentations, sales proposals, handling the price objection, closing the sale, time management etc.

For every item on your list, ask this question. Starting today what can you start doing, stop doing, or change how you're doing it?

Let your imagination run wild.

Imagine your weakest selling link is prospecting. What can you start doing to fix that? Well, you can start setting a goal to call on one new sales prospect every day. This will have a huge impact on your business.

What can you stop doing? You can stop thinking you will call on sales prospects at the end of the day -- when you usually run out of time.

What can you change? You can change the order of things. For example, you can begin every day by calling on one new sales prospect.

A lot of salespeople and entrepreneurs today feel like they're in a hole. Someone much wiser than me said, "The best way out of a hole is to stop digging." Stop digging and create a plan to get out of the hole you're in.

Source: Sales strategist/author Jim Meisenheimer (www.startsellingmore.com)

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Tuesday Night Marketing News

From Mediapost:

VW's Talking Bug Gets Sibling In New Campaign

by Karl Greenberg

The new ad campaign from Volkswagen of America includes three elements the U.S. sales arm of the German automaker hasn't yet tried. The company's new TV campaign that pairs its talking vintage VW Beetle, Max, with a newcomer -- a talking vintage VW van -- directs consumers not to the company's consumer Web site, but to Volkswagen's Facebook page, a first. ... Read the whole story > >

Vespa Markets Music On Pandora

by Karl Greenberg

Piaggio Group Americas, Inc. is launching a new Web campaign for its Vespa scooter brand. The effort, which runs through June, comprises marketing elements on 120 music, electronics, art, conservation and auto-enthusiast sites. Part of Vespa's "Vespanomics" campaign, the ads use twin theme/tag-lines: "Turns on a Dime, Runs on a Nickel" and "Smart Looks, Smarter Purchase." ... Read the whole story > >

Activision Brings Viewers Into the Game With Movie Tie-In For X-Men 'Wolverine'

by Aaron Baar

In the gamer world, video games tied-in to movies have a certain reputation, and it isn't good. Overcoming the hurdle of low expectations was a key strategic point for Activision when it came time to promote its latest movie tie-in game, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." ... Read the whole story > >

TJX To Launch Joint Marketing For T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Seek Shopping Interventions

by Sarah Mahoney

In an effort to convince recession-walloped women that they can afford to shop, TJX says it is launching its first-ever joint marketing effort for T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. The integrated campaign, in a mockumentary style, follows well-dressed women as they chase down overspending friends -- catching them in the act of paying full price. The ads, created by GSD&M, started running this week on network TV in major markets. ... Read the whole story > >

Research

Study: Organic Products Selling Strong Despite Economy

by Tanya Irwin

Sales of organic products grew during 2008, despite a weakening economy, according to the Organic Trade Association. The OTA's findings concur with a similar study by Cone Inc. earlier this year. Cone reported that 34% of U.S. consumers indicate they are more likely to buy environmentally responsible products. ... Read the whole story > >

Restaurant Outlook: Glimmers Of Improvement?

by Karlene Lukovitz

Although hardly signaling a recovery, some of the most recent monthly indicators from the National Restaurant Association offer glimmers of improvement amid the discouraging trends of the past year and a half. ... Read the whole story > >

Lyris: Marketers Track Campaigns Via Twitter

by David Goetzl

Lyris is upgrading its Lyris HQ system to allow marketers to gauge the effectiveness of communications on Twitter. It also lets advertisers monitor various aspects of their interactive marketing campaigns. ... Read the whole story > >

Nationwide Insurance Selects New Creative Agency

Baskin-Robbins Intros Soft Serve With 88-Cent Cone Offer

VTech Holds LPGA Sweepstakes

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Marketing to Gen Y

I have kids in this age group:

Engage Gen Y

How to Get Their Attention

Gen Y isn't that much different than Gen X or even baby boomers. Standing 80 million strong, Gen Y is looking to be just as successful, but in half the time. It is struggling in this economy and trying to find ways to stay afloat, despite layoffs.

It is the most-connected generation by far, using text messages more than actual phone calls and instant messaging over talking to you in person. When communicating with anyone, it's really important that you understand the receiver's preference. Understanding the tools that Gen Yers use to communicate with each other is the key for forming those relationships and tapping their networks.

Gen Y was groomed from birth with technology, and its members seek to get a lot of satisfaction from work. They aren't interested in just a day job; they want meaning in their lives. Talking the Gen Y lingo might help you connect with them, but what they really care about is attention and respect. Most Gen Yers are needy and require a lot of mentorship from older generations. With short attention spans, you better be able to send more messages to them in 140 characters or less (think Twitter) and it better be eye-catching and compelling.

Here are some tips to engage members of Gen Y:
• Listen to them carefully and analyze their behavior.
• Ask them how they want to be contacted before sending out a mass mailing or poking them on Facebook.
• Be creative with your marketing because that's the only way you will attract them to your product or company.
• Reward them with incentives and they'll come knocking on your door because they were raised to feel special by their parents.
• Develop content they can share because they are already active online and have their own channels of distribution.
• Recruit them to help you with your marketing to other Gen Yers.

Companies and marketers that can understand this generation will see enormous opportunities now and in the future. Gen Y is bound to take over the entire workforce, so your best bet is to learn how it operates, tap its expertise and station yourself where it is already "hanging out."

Use your best judgment when reaching out to them because any mishaps will result in a negative spiral of bad press online. You cannot avoid Gen Yers because they are everywhere and changing our business world. The smartest thing you can do is engage them honestly, transparently and authentically.

(Source: Media Post, 04/10/09. Article by Dan Schawbel, personal branding expert for Gen-Y. For the complete article, click here.)

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McDonalds McCoffee McBlitz

From Adage.com:

Take Cover! Marketing Blitz for McCafe Is on the Way

McDonald's Massive $100 Million Coffee Launch Impossible to Escape

By Emily Bryson York

Published: May 04, 2009

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Whoever said mass marketing is dead never worked at McDonald's. The master of the McBlitz is about to outdo itself with its long-awaited national campaign for its new coffee line, touted as the biggest launch in its history -- no small feat for a company that regularly drenches consumers in marketing.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Fast-feeder McD's puts an accent on the everyday in advertising for its big new product platform.

Related Story: Java Giants Brace for McCafé How Rivals Are Positioning Themselves as McDonald's Gears Up

While the Golden Arches won't detail how much it's spending on McCafé, the new product platform is expected to receive an outpouring of more than $100 million fanned out across TV, print, radio, outdoor, internet, events, PR and sampling beginning early this week. There's a lot riding on that budget: McCafé is expected to add about $1 billion to McDonald's bottom line in the U.S. -- about $75,000 per restaurant -- and the chain is banking on national advertising to realize that lofty financial goal.

Suffice it to say the creative will be hard to miss.

"I assure you that we're going to be surrounding the consumer with very relevant messaging," said Neil Golden, chief marketing officer, McDonald's USA. He said the initial ads "will pulse on and off very strongly through the summer, with sustained weight well into 2010." McDonald's has already started the push with coupon booklets in newspapers for McCafé, which will initially include cappuccinos, hot and iced lattes and mochas, hot and iced coffees, and hot chocolate. McDonald's will add smoothies and frappes to the line later this year and into 2010.

"This is one of the bigger drumroll moments in McDonald's marketing for some time," said UBS analyst David Palmer. He said initial trial for the products could dent rival Starbucks as much as 5% in revenue and same-store sales. But it won't all be bad for rivals, he said. The massive media weight from McDonald's could lift the entire category, since specialty coffee has never had the benefit of big bucks before.

'Tallest midget'
McDonald's spent $820 million in measured media last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, and Mr. Golden said McCafé's spending will be incremental, lifting the total to an amount he declined to specify.

A mass-media approach may seem counterintuitive in an age of niche marketing, but Andy Donchin, director-media investments at Carat, said huge, mainstream marketers such as McDonald's need to hit all the bases. TV is still critical for share of voice, and even with fragmentation and smaller ratings, he said, it is "the tallest midget in the room."

One TV spot from DDB, Chicago, incorporates the accent mark from McCafé. When you "McCafé your day," a commute becomes a commuté. When a pal drops by your cubicle with an iced mocha, it's a cubiclé. "There's a wit and charm to the brand, and to the products and to McDonald's," said Marlena Peleo-Lazar, chief creative officer, McDonald's USA.

McDonald's understands that it faces a quality-perception hurdle with first-time buyers, so it's focused on "making the product the hero" in TV spots with what Ms. Peleo-Lazar calls "chocolate-cake shots."

McCafe's African-American and Hispanic campaigns reflect preferences based on consumer insights. African-Americans are more interested in sweeter beverages, while Hispanics tend to be coffee and espresso experts, so they need assurance on quality.

Speaking the language
Radio spots from DDB, Chicago, teach consumers "How to speak McCafé" by using the accent mark. An online effort from digital agency Tribal DDB aimed at 18- to 34-year-olds uses actors from Chicago's Second City comedy theater.

Spokeswoman Danya Proud said the chain will examine more opportunities like its sponsorship of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, in which the chain built a McCafé lounge and served drinks to attendees. Chicago holds Free McCafé Mondays, when anyone can drop in to McD's for a free drink.

In addition, McDonald's is doing summer giveaways with Visa, including two $50,000 grand prizes for 100-word entries about why McDonald's should "McCafé your day." It is also establishing a McCafeYourDay Twitter handle run by Jessie Thompson, manager-U.S. communications. The chain sees Twitter as "a key opportunity for listening, responding and conversing with our customers about their experiences with McCafé," Ms. Proud said.

The agencies involved in the McCafé launch also include Burrell Communications for African-American advertising and PR, Alma DDB and Moroch's Inspire for Hispanic, IW Group for Asian, Arc Worldwide for in-store merchandising and gaming, OMD for media, and Golin Harris as the primary PR shop. Valencia, Pérez & Echeveste handles Hispanic PR.

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You are in the People Business

not the sales business. Got this in my email last week from Craig Garber:

Hi Scott,

Today I want to talk about the cold hard truth why some
folks won't ever be able to connect (and sell) to anyone.

See, life's funny. Some days you'll just be cruising along
when all of a sudden, from out of nowhere, something
unexpected gets dumped into your lap that turns your world
upside down.

But let me tell you an odd quirk of nature about this.
Those folks who consistently handle stuff like this, are
actually the ones who are going to be able to sell more
effectively.

Sounds strange, but here's why: see, what's critical to your
ability to sell and to connect -- over and above everything
else -- is your ability to understand people.

Remember how I said the other day, that "hype" isn't the way
to connect?

Well, the way you do connect is by being sympathetic. By
having insight into what's disturbing your prospects and
what's going to make them feel better.

And reality is, when you've had a hard time of things
yourself... when you've had to make loads of adjustments to
just plain old living... that means by default you
personally have had a need for understanding and sympathy
yourself.

And if you've had this need yourself, if you have any kind
of common sense, that means you can also see that need in
others.

This is truly empowering and gives you the all the skills
you need to sell whatever the heck you want.

O.K.?

So remember, you never get hit by the bus you saw coming.
That's why you want to make sure you always look both ways
when you're crossing -- and when you're not.

Now go sell something, Craig

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Monday Night Marketing News

Clickables from Mediapost:

Starbucks Fights Back With Major Campaign

by Karlene Lukovitz

Starbucks has launched an integrated marketing campaign to counter the coffee competition from McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts and their claims that Starbucks' brews are overpriced. The multimillion-dollar campaign focuses on the quality and value of Starbucks coffee, the unique experience, and the values that have "built the brand from the beginning." ... Read the whole story > >

Country Inns Looks For Love With New Campaign

by Aaron Baar

Country Inns & Suites looks to appeal to the sensibility of women -- and some men -- to expand its budgetary brand appeal during these times of belt-tightening. A new national advertising campaign, with the tagline "I love this country," showcases the hotel chain's level of service and ability to cater to many different types. ... Read the whole story > >

Financial Services

MasterCard CEO Expects Marketing Spend To Grow

by Tanya Irwin

Purchase, N.Y.-based MasterCard Inc. said Friday that its first-quarter profit fell 18% from the year-ago period, but earnings still topped analysts' expectations. Despite some overall pessimism about the world economic climate, the company's CEO said marketing expenditures should head back up. "We would expect that ... we would see a significant growth in marketing spending moving through the rest of the year," said Robert Selander, MasterCard's president and CEO, during a conference call. ... Read the whole story > >

Bic Backs Major League Gaming to Tout Shavers

by Karl Greenberg

Bic Consumer Products' shaver division has signed up a major league sports sponsorship -- actually, a virtual major league sponsorship. Bic will back Major League Gaming, which is a video-game league company that hosts online games through its Web site and through live events. The deal puts Bic's Comfort 3 Advance shaver in MLG's programming and the MLG logo on packages of the Bic shavers nationwide starting this week. ... Read the whole story > >

Retail

Teleflora Partners With HSN For Exclusive Bouquets

by Tanya Irwin

Los Angeles-based Teleflora is partnering with the HSN shopping channel to sell exclusive bouquets during three 30-minute floral tip/direct-response segments. The new product line debuts on Tuesday, May 5 and the initial focus will be on the next big flower holiday: Mother's Day on May 10. In addition to the HSN linkup, Teleflora also has brought back the TV campaign it debuted during the Super Bowl with a new execution: "Teleflora's Slacker Flowers." ... Read the whole story > >

Chico's Hires Rochelle Udell

Boost Mobile Signs On As Danica Patrick's Sponsor

Hartford Financial Posts $1.2 Billion First-Quarter Loss

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What's Better than Satisfaction?

Okay, excuse me for a moment while I talk about the basics of life.

Sex.

Just because someone leaves you satisfied doesn't mean you will be loyal.

That's a higher level of commitment.

Now, back to business and see how this applies to yours:

I'm Satisfied. Now Make Me Loyal.

Think about a product or service that does everything it's supposed to do, rarely breaks down and comes with a reasonable level of support. For Rohit Bhargava, his cable service, which he bundles with Internet access, falls into this category. Though he wouldn't call the package price a bargain, it's not overly expensive; and when he did have a problem, the company quickly resolved the issue. "By every metric you could choose to assign to my experience," he says at the Influential Marketing Blog, "I'm a satisfied customer."

You're waiting for the "but," though, and here it is: "If something even slightly better came along as another option for me, " he says, "I would switch without hesitation." This, he argues, is the line between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty; while satisfied customers will jump ship at the first reasonable opportunity, loyal customers will find reasons to stay, even if you slip up once in a while.

According to Bhargava, achieving this kind of loyalty requires more than good customer service.

• Your product or service must deliver on its promise.
• Your brand's personality must give your customers a sense of belonging and participation.

The Po!nt: If your customers are merely satisfied, it's time to work on their loyalty. "The fact is," says Bhargava, "in today's market customer satisfaction doesn't matter as much as customer loyalty."

Source: Influential Marketing Blog. Click here for the full post.

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What's up with Social Media Marketing?

For one thing, dollars spent is predicted to go up.

The reason is simple, Advertising & Marketing Money should go to where the people are.

Interactive Advertising Expected to Explode

While U.S. retailers' online sales rose 11 percent on average compared to the same period a year ago, Citi Investment Research projects that US retail e-commerce sales will grow 4.4 percent in 2009 to $141 billion -- and jump to 16.5 percent growth in 2010. Video advertising is predicted to generate $1 billion by 2011, and according to Forrester Research, overall Interactive advertising is heading for growth over the next seven years.

Market Vox says that Forrester predicts interactive online advertising, display, email, mobile, search, and social media, will experience a 17 percent compound annual growth rate, totaling almost $55 billion in spending over the next seven years.

Five key online advertising channels will see the following upswing:
* Social media -- 34 percent
* Mobile -- 27 percent
* Display -- 17 percent
* Search -- 15 percent
* Email -- 11 percent

(Source: Adotas, 04/28/09. The complete story can be found here.)

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Changes in Consumer Spending

The times are a'changin', maybe for good. From RBR.com:

Are consumers downshifting for good?

Two studies came out this past week in bang-bang succession. They go beyond the observation that consumers are cutting back on expenditures in the face of economic stress and uncertainty. In fact, they suggest that some of these changes may be permanent.

The Pew Research Center measured a number of categories for a chart called “Belt-Tightening in Bad Times.” Here’s a look:

* 57% bought less expensive brands or went to discount stores

* 28% cut back on alcohol and/or cigarettes

* 24% reduced or cancelled CATV or satellite TV subscriptions

* 22% reduced or cancelled a cell phone plan

* 21% made plans to plant a vegetable garden

* 20% took over yard work/repairs formerly contracted out

* 16% sold items in garage sale or over internet

* 10% had a friend or relative move in

* 2% rented room to a boarder

Pew noted that the shifts have come “across-the-board, among adults in all income groups and economic circumstances -- perhaps suggesting that consumer reaction to the recession is being driven by specific personal economic hardships as well as by a more pervasive new creed of thrift that has taken hold both among those who've been personally affected and those who haven't.”

This is completely backed up by a Gallup poll, which finds that almost a third of all Americans – 32% -- say that not only they have been spending less over the past few months, that it has become their “new normal.” Another 21% are spending less in reaction to current economic conditions, but say the cutback is only temporary.

Only 17% are spending more, with 6% calling it their new normal and the rest saying it’s temporary, and 30% are still applying the same spending habits.

It spills over into saving habits as well. 27% are saving more and call it the “new normal,” while 9% are saving more on a temporary basis.

31% are saving at the same rate and 32% are saving less, 22% on a temporary basis.

RBR/TVBR observation: We remember our grandmother, who was born in 1900 and lived to the ripe old age of 91. She lived through an amazing century, which included the Great Depression, and the lessons of that event never left her. Thrift was the name of the game – we don’t remember how many times we were asked if we really needed to have a lamp turned on, because electricity costs money.


What purveyors of goods and services need to come to grips with is the fact that bells and whistles are out and thrift is in, and adjust their strategies accordingly. And then advertise that fact as forcefully and effectively as possible.

Because the businesses that successfully education consumers to make their business a habit are the ones that are going to win.

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Recession Beaters

You can deny it, but it won't change that it's going on. I downloaded this free e-book yesterday and you can too. From my email:

Selling to Big Companies Blog

Selling Through a Slump: An Industry-by-Industry Playbook

Posted: 30 Apr 2009 04:52 AM PDT

Selling in a recession is tough. And simply doing more of the same is not the way to survive, much less thrive. There are important dos and don'ts in times like these.

Selling through a Slump: An Industry-by-Industry Playbook brings together best practices from 11 top sales experts from 11 distinct vertical market sectors—because one size doesn’t always fit all.

In this FREE ebook, you'll find an arsenal of great sales ideas from leading sales strategists in ...

• Selling Technology - Dave Stein, CEO of ES Research Group, Inc

• Selling Services - Jill Konrath, Author, Selling to Big Companies (THAT'S ME!)
  

• Selling for Accountants & Consultants - Charles Green, Author, Trust-Based Selling

• Selling Media - Anne Miller, Author, Metaphorically Selling

• Selling to Manufacturers - Dave Brock, Partners in EXCELLENCE

• Selling in Health Care - Anneke Seley, CEO, PhoneWorks & author, Sales 2.0

• Selling for Retailers - Skip Anderson, Selling to Consumers Sales Training

• Selling to Public Sector Clients - Mike Kujawski, Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing

• Selling in Telecommunications Markets - John Caddell, Caddell Insight Group

• Selling for Insurance Agent - Mike Wise, VP, Insurance Technologies, IdeaStar Inc.

• Selling for Lawyers - Matt Homann, Founder, LexThink

Click here for valuable sales strategies
from experts in every industry!
(A simple registration is required)

Brought to you by The Customer Collective and Oracle CRM.

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Classic Ad of the Week

Earlier I featured a series of TV ads from the 1960's. Now for some print action:

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You are Creative

For the last couple of months, I took over as the acting General Sales Manager for my group of radio stations. I had to un-do a few things that the previous General Sales Manager had done and one of those was to show our sales staff that they were creative and capable of doing more than they had previously been told.

The area was creativity. Specifically, commercial writing. Our previous GSM was convinced that he could not write and so he found some creative ways to avoid writing such as hiring someone else to write his commercials.

Yet, I knew that everyone is capable if they are given a little guidance, so my training for a couple of days to our sales staff was designed to open their eyes to their own abilities and now they are working on doing their own writing.

What about you? Are you stuck? Need a fresh perspective? Here's a great article from Roundpeg to stir up, shake up, and wake you up:

Turn Off Auto-Pilot! Turn On Creative Thinking!

Posted by Lorraine on May 3rd, 2009

Do you sit in the same place everyday? Drive to and from work along the same route? Tackle problems in the same manner?

Habits are easy, and they help us get through the day. Do them too often, however, and you end up in a rut. Let the ruts get too deep and it is hard to find a new solution to a problem or challenge. Sometimes drastic measures are needed to break out of the rut

This is especially true for small business owners, looking for ways to take their business in new directions. Sometimes the best thing to do is Break the Habit!

If you need a fresh idea, try a new direction. Consider using a technique called “Random Input.” This technique helps you break away from restrictive thinking patterns. It opens a conversation about new solutions you normally might not associate with the problem.

You can do this anywhere, but my favorite location, is an outdoor cafe, with sunshine, a Latte, blank sheet of paper, and a pen. To get started, select a random noun from the dictionary or any noun which pops into your head. Since it works best if the noun is something you can see or touch like a car, or hat, I usually look for something on the street around me as a starting point for my brainstorm.

Next, look for ways to connect the noun to the challenge at hand. As you brainstorm, do not eliminate or evaluate ideas. Let your mind wander. Capture every idea. Yes, you will have some useless ones. Others may lead to valuable insights. And at least one is likely to make a startling, creative leap.

Here is an example of how Random Input can work. Imagine your challenge is to find a new fundraising project for a teen soccer team. You have considered all the conventional solutions, but nothing really exciting comes to mind.

Now is a good time to try random input. You see your favorite plant on your desk and decide to use the word “plants.” Brainstorming may lead to some of these ideas:

• Plant seeds in the spring, and selling the young trees in the fall
• Offer lawn care services instead of the typical car
• Sell decorative floral arrangements for holidays
• Solicit sponsors for the trees around the playing fields

You will generate even more ideas if you brainstorm with others. Invite 3 - 5 people to join you for short (20 - 30 minute) sessions. When it comes to brainstorming, two heads are definately better than one!

The ideas will be sketchy at first. Many will be may be useless or impractical. Yet, one might be original enough for the basis of an entirely new concept. Try it! Random input is a great new habit to develop.

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2 4 1

Just a clever title to get you to read these two blog posts from Content Marketing Today:

Content Marketing Today

Why Your Website is Just the Beginning of an Online Strategy Posted: 01 May 2009 05:18 AM PDT Of course you need a website. But, you need a lot more to succeed. Your website is a primary location for product and service information for which your customers are searching. Moreover, it should follow the content marketing mandate of customer centricity. That is, your website must reflect an understanding of what’s most important to your customers in the way that you present content about who you are, what you sell, and why your visitors should care. But, that’s still just the essential foundation. An effective website is necessary but not sufficient as an online marketing strategy. Patsi Krakoff makes this very clear in her insightful post, Why Your Website Is Not Enough (…and never will be, sorry) Patsi sets a pretty high bar for your social media involvement, especially if you are a small independent professional services provider. But, if you’re skeptical about the need to go behind a basic website, pay attention to the research she cites from eMarketer. They estimate current monthly blog readers at almost 100 million in 2009 with an expected growth of almost 30% by 2013. As David Tokheim of Six Apart Media (the blogging software company) noted in the eMarketer article: “The lines are becoming blurred between a standalone blog that might be created on TypePad or Blogger or WordPress and blog content that’s created by The New York Times.” Clearly, the idea of a business blog is no longer a fringe concept. Patsi argues that far from being a fringe marketing method, it should be a vital component of what every business or professional does online. As she puts it: You probably can get away with just a few web pages for a while. But for how long? If you wait, you’re not creating and building up the body of online content you need in order for you to get "Google juice," and clients won’t find you when they do a search. Your web pages won’t get good page rankings. Your site won’t get found. They will find your competitors instead. Even if you think that starting a blog may stretch your resources painfully, be sure to read all of what Patsi has to say about why the possible pain will justify the marketing payoff. For those of you who are already agonizing over multiple social media possibilities and want to know where to focus, check out our article: 6 Reasons Why Your Blog Is Your Most Important Social Media Tool

6 Reasons Why Your Blog Is Your Most Important Social Media Tool Posted: 01 May 2009 04:34 AM PDT It’s much more powerful than those young whippersnappers–Twitter and Facebook We often talk about the need to develop a content marketing mindset. This requires companies to think like publishers. And that sounds an awful lot like social media as Wikipedia defines it: Social media is information content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies. At its most basic sense, social media is a shift in how people discover, read and share news, information and content. It’s a fusion of sociology and technology, transforming monologue (one to many) into dialog (many to many) and is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers. Your blog is your secret social media weapon Thanks to free or inexpensive blogging tools, any individual can be on the same technological footing as the New York Times or Business Week. That may seem relatively obvious to many of you. What I think is less obvious is that your blog is every bit as much a social media tool as Twitter, Facebook or MySpace. In fact, I believe that a blog is the most important social media weapon in your arsenal. Here are the 6 reasons that your blog must be the core of your social media strategy: To have meaningful social media impact, you must provide a critical mass of content that will position you and your organization as thought leaders within your market niche. Nothing works better than a blog to achieve that objective. Over time, your blog will contain an increasingly rich and relevant reservoir of information that serves as a Google magnet. Thus, you will become more and more findable by those customers you need to attract. You can provide an unlimited amount of vital information in a single location. Because Web visitors are desperately seeking answers to their most pressing questions, you have the opportunity to provide just the right answers for your ideal target customers. The best blogs can provide the vast majority of targeted information that there ideal visitors require in their search for solutions. Content aside, the structure of a blog enables you to organize your information almost effortlessly to the benefit of your visitors. By defining the most important areas of information that you will cover and translating them into ‘categories,’ you enable your visitors to find exactly what they want with minimal effort. Unlike other social media tools, such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, your blog is open to the entire world. This enables you to achieve potentially infinite reach for your critical mass of content. Although you may request visitors to register and offer them enticements such as a free e-book or eNewsletter, they don’t have to join a special club to benefit from your information. You can be both timely and comprehensive. Although Twitter couldn’t be more timely, the information, opinions, and advice you tweet can never be comprehensive. Your blog can be just as timely as Twitter because you can post information instantaneously. But you can also make each post as comprehensive as necessary and integrate that post with lots of other relevant information on your blog. Your blog posts, far from being isolated from other great tools such as Facebook and Twitter, can be automatically pulled into each one. Thus, those two powerhouses can enhance your online presence every time you post an article on your blog. That’s three for the price of one. Not bad. The bottom line: Start your blog today. It’s that important. Then start thinking about Facebook and Twitter–and all the other possible social media tools you might consider.

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