Monday Night Marketing News from Mediapost

Some people aren't afraid of Big Brother...

Research

One-Third May Be Open To Behavioral Tracking

by Karlene Lukovitz

Nearly a third (32%) of Americans say they would be open to having their Web-surfing and television viewing habits monitored in order to receive ads more relevant to their interests -- as long as the data collected could not identify them as individuals, according to a global study of consumer media habits and advertising attitudes conducted by market research firm Synovate. ... Read the whole story > >

Automotive

GM To Give Dealers Hearing, Reconsideration

by Karl Greenberg

Several state auto dealer associations and big dealer groups are objecting to GM dismissing more than 1,000 dealerships. The plan is slated to start mid-January, assuming Congress doesn't follow through on pending legislation to block GM's plan to cut the retail roll. ... Read the whole story > >

Electronics

Motorola: 7 Of 10 Want Constant Connectivity

by Aaron Baar

Desire for continued connectivity is no longer a generational issue. According to a consumer survey commissioned by Motorola's Home & Networks Mobility business, members of the largest generational categories -- Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers -- all desire to be connected equally. ... Read the whole story > >

Automotive

Buick Regal Sets Out To Change Mindsets

by Karl Greenberg

Regal comes to the U.S. market next spring, positioned against performance-driving sedans like Acura TSX and Volvo S60. The car comes with a turbocharged option and something Buick hasn't seen in years, a six-speed manual gearbox. ... Read the whole story > >

Tony's Pizza Offers Free Bowling

AAMCO Gets An App

Sony Offers Soccer Fans 'Twitter Cup'

Mandalay Bay Goes Facebook In New Year's Promo

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Taste the Money

Yup, food season is here...

Rediscover the Lost Art of Sampling

Food sampling can bring delicious surprises to shoppers and expand their basket size with impulse purchases – especially in this recessionary time when people respond with outsized emotion to unexpected delights on mundane trips.

A taste of nova from the seafood counter can lead to a $30 per pound sale. A cube of cheese could sell a wedge that lands on a party tray at home. A sliver of fresh-baked cake could drive shoppers to the showcase nearby. A small cup of a breakfast cereal could become part of a dieter’s regimen. There’s little in the in-store marketing world that compares with the impulse potential of food samples – because the enjoyment can be duplicated at home when the family also tastes the new items.

Yet food safety concerns, the randomness of in-store locations, and the lack of consistent branding of sampling stations have kept sampling from performing to its full potential for years.

It’s time to reawaken shoppers’ taste buds in the store, if we pay attention to statistics revealed by Walmart at the recent Grocery Manufacturers Association Merchandising, Sales and Marketing Conference. Sales lifts of 260% for Easter cookies, 1,000% for ham, 6,000% for cakes and 245% for pineapples from sampling events tied to circular promotions, occurred over the year before, said Terry Nannie, the chain’s senior director of marketing, reported Supermarket News.

The big difference came when Walmart launched an ongoing program at the time of the latest Super Bowl managed by Shopper Events, LLC – a joint effort between Advantage Sales and Marketing and Crossmark Inc. By April, the newly structured sampling program expanded to 2,000 supercenters using branded sampling stations (with refrigerators and microwave ovens) that displayed collateral materials along with the foods to taste; this expanded to 27 Neighborhood Market supermarkets, four Marketside stores and two Supermercado de Walmart stores by end of summer 2009, according to an In-Store Marketing Institute (ISM) report.

The program is branded as Bright Ideas, and it has several winning elements that supermarkets could learn from:

• Sampling staff are assigned to specific stores to facilitate relationships with customers and store staff
• The three branded carts per supercenter are recognized within the store environment
• Themed campaigns give shoppers easy access to lifestyle solutions
• Sampling is integrated with other marketing and merchandising opportunities for brands
• Events occur on predictable days and times – Thursday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The program delivers an average of 26.7 million customer interactions and 2.8 million samples per week, the ISM report stated. Since an independent Simmons survey showed that Walmart’s shoppers are 15% likelier than the average U.S. consumer to be influenced by sampling events, the strategy makes sense for the giant retailer.

If sampling stations could make these big boxes more appealing and productive, it’s time to reconsider the lost art of sampling for more embracing supermarket formats.

(Source: Supermarketguru.com, 11/17/09)

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2010 Small Business Plans for the Web

from my email:

Small Business Marketing Spend Plans for 2010

According to the results of a recent survey of small businesses of under 500 employees by VerticalResponse, Inc, 74.1% of respondents plan to increase their use email marketing and 68.3% will increase their use of social media in 2010. Only 3.8% of respondents do not plan to use email marketing in 2010, which indicates that the channel continues to demonstrate value to small businesses.

Small Business Plans For Social Media in 2010 (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube; % of Respondents)
Plan	% of Respondents (rounded)
Increase a lot	33%
Increase a little	35
Stay the same	11
Cut down	2
Cut all	1
Not planning to do	18
Source: VerticalResponse Inc, November 2009

Conversely, the channels that respondents plan to use least in 2010 are television and radio advertising. The majority, 79.6% are not planning to use TV, and 72.7% of small businesses will not use radio advertising.

The results also highlight that small businesses are wary of channels such as online banner advertising and search engine marketing. 54.2% of all respondents stated they won't do online banner advertising in 2010, and just 23.8% of respondents won't do SEM such as Google, Yahoo and Bing next year.

Small Business Online Banner Advertising Plans for 2010 (% of Respondents)
Plan	% of Respondents (rounded)
Increase a lot	8%
Increase a little	15
Stay the same	18
Cut down	3
Cut all	2
Not planning to do	53
Source: VerticalResponse Inc, November 2009

Janine Popick, VerticalResponse CEO and founder, says "... small businesses continue to allocate portions of their budget to... email and social media, despite the downturn in the economic climate... (but) marketers (still) need to help small businesses to see the value of integrating search engine marketing... into their campaigns."

Among key findings, the report notes that:

Social media and email marketing spend continues to rise in 2010 as small businesses see the value of these low-cost options:

• Well over two-thirds of respondents report that they plan to increase their use of email marketing and social media in 2010
• Email marketing continues to prove its worth to small businesses, as 96.2% plan to use email marketing in 2010
• Plans reported for 2010 indicate the email marketing industry will continue to thrive next year, with 38.9% businesses of 1-10 employees and 34.1% of businesses with 11-100 employees planning to increase their email marketing by a lot in 2010
• Small businesses are getting more comfortable with social media, when reporting marketing plans for 2010, 35.1% of all respondents say they plan to increase their use of social media by a little and 33.3 % plan to increase it by a lot

Plans to spend on search engine marketing (SEM) and online banner advertising for the next year showed a marked difference between the two mediums:

• Over half of all respondents stated they won't do online banner advertising in 2010, versus just 23.8% of respondents won't do SEM such as Google, Yahoo and Bing next year
• Almost a quarter of small businesses of 1-10 and 11-100 employees won't do search engine marketing in 2010. Of the businesses who are using this medium, only 4% of businesses with 1-10 staff and 3.3% of businesses with 11-100 will cut this channel or together or cut it down slightly in 2010
• A large portion of businesses do not plan on online banner advertising in 2010, represented by 56.6% of businesses under 11 staff and the 48.2% of businesses with 11-100 employees not planning on banner advertising
• Online banner advertising spend did not increase much over 2009, with only 4.5% of smaller business increasing this by a little in 2009, and 11.4% of businesses with 11-100 reporting the same. Just 6.1% of businesses with 11-100 employees reporting they increased their online banner advertising spend by a lot over the past year, and just 2.7% of businesses with less than 11 staff.

According to the study, the most important tool for small businesses to succeed in 2010 is search engine marketing, while email marketing, public relations and social media cited as crucial for success.

• 23.8% of all small businesses reported that search engine marketing was the tool most needed for their business to succeed in 2010.

Services Most Needed By Small Business to Succeed (% of Respondents)
Service	% of Respondents (rounded)
Search engine marketing	24%
Advertising	22
Web/Graphic design	21
High speed Internet	11
Accounting	8
Other	7
None	6
Source: VerticalResponse Inc, November 2009

The survey responses represent the heart of the small business community, with over three-quarters of respondents indicating that their company has between 1 and 10 employees. This category includes a number of sole proprietor businesses indicating that entrepreneurs continue to flourish despite the economic climate. The remainder of the respondents included 19% who have between 11-100 employees and just 4.4% of respondents with 101-500 employees.

Please visit VerticalResponse here for more information.

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Selective Selling

A friend of mine named his advertising sales firm Select Advertising because he was going to select which clients he would work with and which media he would deal with.

Craig Garber has some similar thoughts on how you can do that too:

Hi Scott,

Time is like the personal debit card you own. Only once
your account is set up, there's no upping it. Can't ask
for an extension, can't get an increase, can't fill it up
with more cash, and there's no refunds on it either. Once
you debit it -- even if it was for a "bad purchase" --
there's no "do-overs" and no returns.

That's why when it comes to generating leads and selling,
wasting time with tire-kickers and looky-loos, is not only
counter-productive, it's frustrating because it whacks down
that remaining debit card balance of yours, and gives you
zero in return.

So how do you eliminate curiosity-seekers and people who are
"just shopping," from your life?

There are probably dozens of things you can do, but let's
talk about three of them today.

One, somehow... you MUST make your prospects qualify.

I'll give you a very simple example of this. Remember years
ago, how you'd read small ads in the middle of comic books
or inside TV Guide (remember TV Guide?), or in your local
newspaper. These ads usually had a small coupon you could
clip out and send in to get a free sample or a free report,
right?

Well, at the end of the offer, most of these coupons also
said something like, "I am enclosing 10 cents to cover
postage and handling." That little 10 cents, was used
specifically to eliminate freeloaders who are "just
curious."

Simply asking someone to make a small sacrifice, usually
separates the boys from the men, the weak from the strong,
the mildly curious from the dead-serious.

Basically, all forms of eliminating tire-kickers will be
different versions of this one strategy.

Read that last sentence again and get creative with it.

And don't just say "O.K.," I really want you to go ahead and
re-read it, I'll wait...

Good, now let's move on.

Two, weed them out in your sales copy by specifically
letting your prospects know who you can deal with and who
you can and cannot help. So for instance, maybe you're
trying to attract women to your bridal gown store by
offering a free fitting and a free wedding party
assessment.

But you don't want every woman in town who's thinking about
getting married, to stop by, or... maybe you sell high-end
gowns only and you don't want to waste time
on anyone who can't afford one of your gowns.

In your copy, you might say something like, "Do not read
this ad unless you're willing to pay a little more for a
much better quality wedding gown." Or... "Just so you
know, these wedding party assessments are incredibly
effective and have been proven to save most brides at least
$3,750, not to mention substantial savings in your time.
However, they are ONLY effective for those brides who are
having more than 12 people in their wedding party."

This qualifies your bride by the size of the wedding she is
having. Which may or may not be how you'd qualify how much
your prospect is going to spend on a wedding dress --
you'll need to figure out the right qualifier here, based
on your existing sales. But you get the gist of what I'm
saying, right?

Three, make people apply to work with you.

One of the biggest problems with most businesses, is their
number one qualification for who they will accept as a
client or customer is "they must have a pulse."

Unfortunately, this is going to get you nowhere.

You wouldn't accept that as you sole qualification for a
spouse, would you?

Of course not, so why accept it in your business? Your
clients will make you or break you, and since who you work
with is completely up to you, why wouldn't you want the
proverbial best -- the crème de la crème?

One way or another, and no matter what technique you use...
anytime there's some kind of "barrier" or "step up" your
prospects have to take in order to work with you, there
will also be some sort of weeding out process.

In nature, Darwin called this process "Natural Selection."

And it's this process that saves you time, headaches and
frustration, and eliminates the tire-kickers and looky-loos
from your business, and from your life, forever.

And THAT is the gist of two-step lead generation, and of
valuing your own time.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Inside: 21 "Smart-Money" secrets every entrepreneur
MUST know about making really good money... even in really
bad times.

***

Yours free, just for trying Seductive Selling, for 30 days:
get TWO free issues of my offline newsletter, along with 18
free (REAL) gifts that help you get more leads... increase
your conversion rates... and give you fresh creative
marketing ideas. Watch the video, discover what you're
missing and get "no-nonsense" advice, right now.

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Classic Ad of the Week

What I DON'T want for my birthday Friday...

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Gen Y & Christmas

from Mediapost:

Bah Humbug!

As we head into the holidays, ChaCha is getting a lot of interesting questions from our young users via text message. The questions have a different tone and shine a light on what teens and young adults are thinking at this time of year.

We were surprised, and a little saddened, to see that our users aren't feeling so good right now. Of the almost 2 million questions we received over the last couple of days, about 43,000 were related to the holidays and depression:

• "Why does Christmas shopping happen so soon?"

• "Why is this Christmas so depressing?"

• "Is there a name for depression around the holidays?"

To get more insight into how they were really feeling, we ran a quick mobile survey of our 18-24 year olds and received about 337 responses in about three hours.

Here's what we asked:

What are you and your friends concerned about this year?
Overwhelming concern: The Future. College. Jobs. The Economy. They said things like, "passing the SAT, "money for college" and "getting a job" and "the end of the world in 2012." About 10% were concerned about personal relationships. Only about 3% were concerned about politics, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One 24-year-old male said: "Jobs and our future are a big concern. We are a really talented bunch that just happens to be at the height of our ambition at the exact time the economy is hurting."

What is on your holiday wish list?
55% wanted electronics of some kind (iPod's, laptops, a new phone, video games, Kindle). 33% wanted gift cards of any kind. 9% wanted new clothes, mountain bikes or a new car. Only a handful asked for "love" and the happiness of their families or a good grade on their exams.

And some were telling, or just really amusing.

• "A new water heater, because ours is broken. And a laptop"

• "A GPS and an area rug"

• "Good reads, hamburger phone (Juno style), home accessories from Ikea"

• "f100 Ranger '70 (black) ipod touch, gift card to forever 21, and $1 million to give away :)"

One 22-year-old woman said: "Gift cards. I always like to pick things out myself or save up for higher ticket items."

What are you most excited about this year?
Only one person said they didn't have anything to be excited about. Almost everyone listed a personal relationship as the most exciting thing: boyfriend, girlfriend. One said they were excited they finally lost their virginity.

A 20 year old woman said: "Hoping to travel and experience very cool places, build really strong friendships with amazing people, and find my partner in crime!"

It's pretty obvious that they really want to be connected and to feel loved, especially during these uncertain times. As marketers, we tend to forget this and our communication can become very "business-like" and detached.

Finally, we asked:

If you could give one tip to marketers about how to best talk to you, what would it be?
6% said "never," but 94% responded that they wanted to be talked to like a friend. There were pretty specific, too:

• "Be nice and not demanding"

• "In a friendly way"

• "Like I am an adult"

• "On my level"

• "In a sexy voice, LOL"

• "Talk to me with a sense of humor and closeness. As if we were longtime friends."

'Tis the season to remember: Be nice. Be friendly. Talk to each person like you know him or her. They will respond because they not only prefer it, but they may need it more than you know.

Susan Marshall is vice president of marketing at ChaCha. Reach her here.

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It's NOT too Late

to join the online world.

While I don't agree with ALL of the tips, here's a good checklist.

From Seth Godin last week:

Is it too late to catch up?

What if your organization or your client has done nothing?

What if they've just watched the last fourteen years go by? No real website, no social media, no permission assets. What if now they're ready and they ask your advice? And, by the way, they have no real cash to spend...

Here's a list of my top ten things to consider doing:

• Use gmail to give every person in the organization that can read English an email address.
• Use a free website creating tool or even Squidoo to build a page about your company. Nothing fancy, but list your locations, your people (with addresses) and make it clear you want to hear from people.
• Start an email newsletter using Mad Mimi or Mail Chimp. Give the responsibility for the newsletter's creation and performance to one person and offer them a bonus if they exceed metrics in sign ups and in reducing churn.
• Start a book group for your top executives and every person who answers the phone, designs a product or interacts with customers. Read a great online media book a week and discuss. It'll take you about a year to catch up.
• Offer a small bonus to anyone in the company who starts and runs a blog on any topic. Have them link to your company site, with an explanation that while they work there, they don't speak for you.
• Have the president post her (real) email address in every invoice and other communication the company sends out, asking people to write to her with comments or questions.
• Start a newsletter for your vendors. Email them regular updates about what you're doing, what's selling and what problems are going on internally that they might be able to help you with.
• Do not approve any project that isn't run on Basecamp.
• Get a white board and put it in the break room. On it, have someone update: how many people subscribe to the newsletter, how many people visit the website, how many inbound requests come in by phone, how long it takes customer service to answer an email and how often your brand names are showing up on Twitter every day.
• Don't have any meetings about your web strategy. Just do stuff. First you have to fail, then you can improve.
• Refuse to cede the work to consultants. You don't outsource your drill press or your bookkeeping or your product design. If you're going to catch up, you must (all of you) get good at this, and you only accomplish that by doing it.

The problem is no longer budget. The problem is no longer access to tools.

The problem is the will to get good at it.

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Open Door Policy

from my email:

Daily Sales Tip: Leave the Door Open
Never lock the door behind you when you go. There's no point in telling a customer, "You're not worth my time." Say instead, "I appreciate the time you've invested with me, but it doesn't look like this is a good match for us."

You might even recommend another product or service you think is a better fit for their needs. Try to walk away on friendly terms so that both of you have the option to call again should the situation change.

Source: Sales consultant/author Barry Farber (www.barryfarber.com)

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Dining out in 2010

It's Saturday night.

What are you doing for dinner?

Five Dining Predictions for 2010

Just as many households can expect to rebalance their finances or lifestyle expectations in 2010, the restaurant industry can expect to get back to basics as it recovers from a tumultuous 2009, according to research firm Mintel.

The menu trends analysts at Mintel outlined five projections for industry trends in 2010, and the unifying theme is a renewed focus on quality after a year preoccupied mostly with cost and how-low-can-you-go value deals.

"Restaurants are redefining 'value' on the menu, moving away from the cost savings that were so important earlier this year to incorporate high-quality ingredients, classic flavor combinations and authentic, old-fashioned preparations," said Maria Caranfa, a registered dietician and senior analyst for Mintel. "In 2010, we expect menus to go back to the basic roots of good food and drink."

Mintel identified the following upcoming trends:

Classically simple

As Mintel put it, over the past year chefs have discovered that "simple sells." Industry watchers can expect a greater emphasis on simple ingredients and preparations and classic food combinations. Nowhere is that more evident than the white-hot better-burger movement in quick service and fast casual, where Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Smashburger, The Counter, The Habit and many more brands vie for supremacy of that American holy trinity: burgers, fries and shakes.

In recent months, McDonald's, Wendy's and Denny's have all rolled out their own versions of premium hamburgers, not only to compete with trendy brands like Five Guys, but also to hang on to customers that may have traded down from casual dining and upscale independents during the recession.

On the other hand, Ruby Tuesday recently moved to position itself in a more upscale-casual segment of the industry with its upgraded decor and expanded menu. While the chain is trying to increase its average check by selling more big-ticket items like lobster and seafood pastas, it also is hoping to show that quality and value aren't mutually exclusive. Its bar program is offering signature cocktails and well drinks for $5, but the liquor used will remain premium brands like Bacardi, Beefeater and Jim Beam.

Restaurant-grown

Customers still will seek out menus loaded with "rustic" food made from locally sourced ingredients, including some foods picked from on-site restaurant gardens, Mintel predicts. As more chefs are recognized for a commitment to growing much of their own ingredients or procuring them from local sources -- Chicago's Rick Bayless and Seattle's Jerry Traunfeld spring to mind -- more restaurants will look to differentiate themselves in this way, the research firm said.

Not that the trend would be exclusive to chef-driven independent restaurants. Quick-service chain Burgerville already has garnered increased guest counts and sales with a seasonal-ingredient limited-time offer that changes every month. The 39-unit brand is showcasing local cranberries for the month of November, including a turkey burger with cranberry and jalapeno salsa, sweet-cranberry bourbon baked beans, and a cranberry-walnut tart for dessert.

Dining out...in

As guests cut back on actual visits to restaurants, some brands are branching out beyond breakneck unit growth and developing more online-ordering platforms or making inroads into retail sales, Mintel pointed out.

Innovations in ordering are everywhere in the pizza segment. Pizza Hut recently won two awards from the Mobile Marketing Association for its smart-phone application, which it said accounted for $1 million in sales this past year. Competitor Domino's chose not to develop a smart-phone app, opting instead to build optimized mobile-ordering platforms for the Apple iPhone, Palm Pre and Blackberry.

Meanwhile, grocery store shelves are becoming more crowded with restaurant companies' branded items. While celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, California Pizza Kitchen and T.G.I. Friday's have been in the space for a while, brands such as Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Bennigan's and P.F. Chang's have debuted new retail products over the past year.

Inherent health

According to Mintel research, nearly nine in 10 Americans think it's important to eat healthful meals, but 63 percent say that's very difficult to accomplish in restaurants because of a lack of healthful items.

But many chain restaurants have been at this trend for a while, as calls for legislation requiring the display of nutritional information or the reduction of sodium levels in restaurant food have necessitated innovation. Recent examples of more healthful menu initiatives include Dunkin' Donuts' DDSmart line, Starbucks' move away from high-fructose corn syrup and KFC's introduction of Kentucky Grilled Chicken.

In addition, Romano's Macaroni Grill continues to introduce more healthful entrees in its ongoing menu makeover. For example, a reformulated recipe for the chain's scallops and spinach salad contains 420 calories, and a new Lamb Spiedini dish coming out next week contains 505 calories.

Regional ethnic

Mintel noted that four in five Americans said they had eaten ethnic food at a restaurant in July. The research firm projected that, because cuisine types like Chinese, Mexican and Italian have become so mainstream, "it's time to dig deeper" and feature the staple foods of specific regions, from Tuscany in Italy to North Carolina-style barbecue.

Italian dinnerhouse chain Il Fornaio has integrated the tour of different regional cuisines into its successful, long-running loyalty program, Festa Regionale. The Corte Madera, Calif.-based chain gives its guests a "Passaporto" in the mail and invites them to have the paper passport stamped each time they eat from a monthly rotating menu featuring cuisine from a different Italian region. In December, Il Fornaio will showcase the food and wine of Sicily.

(Source: Nation's Restaurant News, 11/20/09)

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Social Media Campaign Tips

From Business Week:

How to Build a Social Media Campaign

Good marketers see the value of developing a presence where their audience already gathers, whether online or at the shopping mall

By Hilary JM Topper

Social media is all about sparking conversation, not just online, but offline too. Done well, social media draws us in, delights us, and even offers glimpses of the future. These dynamics overlap into the real world, as people go about their daily business. Companies that understand this and interact with their market at every opportunity—both on the Web and face to face—get the most from their marketing campaigns. And they help to further imprint their brand on the public.

Visit a Simons' Mall, for example, where thirsty shoppers who stop at Coca-Cola's (KO) latest touch-screen vending machines are now in for a surprise. Never mind yesterday's technology, where consumers routinely plunked in coins, punched in numbers, and received a bottle. These new machines showcase video images of bottles that you can spin—virtually—and learn more about the product, including its pricing.

Yes, it's a play on that old-fashioned game, Spin the Bottle. Yet it's also a recurring theme with its smart phone app, "Spin the Coke," prompting fans to post online about how much they enjoy the combination of Coca-Cola and the promise of kisses. In addition, Coke gives consumers a chance to build a community around its most recent beverage offerings.

Deli Directions

Such innovation foreshadows new conveniences on the horizon, making it easy to envision a day in the not-too-distant future when consumers might be able to order a Coke on their smartphone and be directed to the nearest deli where a frosty bottle awaits. Talk about one-on-one interaction with the customer.

Coke gets it. And those who model a marketing platform after Coke's can build a foundation where they can not only engage followers and ride the wave to the next generation of social media. Like all good marketers, these companies see the value of developing a presence where their audience already gathers—whether online or in our streets and shopping malls. And by putting themselves front and center, these companies interact with the public, finding out what people want, inspiring spontaneity—and yes, purchases.

Still, as with traditional marketing, a successful social media program must be mindful of consumers' interests. This mission is easy to accomplish, whether by constantly developing tools that help a company remain relevant to its audience or by conducting some research to garner customers' thoughts about an organization's products and services. The best part?

Businesses don't need deep pockets to incorporate an effective social media platform. But they will need the time to engage their market share online, whether through a Facebook fan page, Twitter, or a host of other popular sites. True, not all of these sites are household names yet. Still, they enjoy solid followings.

Below are some suggestions to help jump-start a successful social media platform.

• Keep it interesting.

Run contests that generate water-cooler talk—whether for a weekend getaway, a dinner out, a new wardrobe, or a gift certificate. For instance, JCPenney, which recently mounted a major effort to build a following on Facebook, is running a contest in which its fans show off their style by posting their photos donning their favorite JCPenney outfit.

• Be consistent.

Are you fun and whimsical online? Maintain that momentum offline as well. Followers will expect that same identity in all of their interactions with your brand. Here, again, Coca-Cola leads the category—playful on the Web and when customers interact face-to-face with its products.

• Comb the Web for free market research.

Don't overlook the importance of staying in tune with your customers. Read what they're saying, whether on Facebook, iTunes, YouTube, or elsewhere. And know when to respond. Maybe they love your product or service—something you may want to build upon, whether through developing new offerings or spearheading a new branding initiative.

Then again, maybe their posts reveal that they are looking for a product or service that you in fact, already offer. If that's the case, let them know as quickly as possible, before they go searching elsewhere. Or maybe they are complaining about a kink in one of your applications; you'll want to let them know you are working on a resolution.

• Stay relevant.

Avoid frequent posts that would not pertain to your base at large. Otherwise fans will lose interest, and worse, begin to consider your status updates as spam. That's a sure way to lose your audience, no matter how great your offerings.

Stick to these steps, and your followers will stay tuned—a surefire sign that your social media campaign is working.

Hilary JM Topper is the author of Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Social Media, but were afraid to ask....

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Give up yet?

from my email:

Daily Sales Tip: Persistence Pays Off

Not every prospect buys immediately, but that doesn't stop top sales producers from thinking of each as a customer. They stay close to and cultivate their prospects -- even those who don't buy after repeated presentations.

They send a powerful message to prospects: "I want you as a customer, and I'm going to work with you until you become one, no matter how long it takes."

Being relentless makes the difference; doing more, solving more problems, and discovering more possibilities that change prospects into customers.


Source: John R. Graham, president of Graham Communications (www.grahamcomm.com)

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Friday Night Marketing News from Mediapost

Interesting thoughts about email in the first story... Do you agree?

Social Media

Digital Confab Convo Turns To Social Media

by Karl Greenberg

While she doesn't say email is dead exactly, former Google marketer Clara Shih says that over 96% of the students she interviewed for her book don't use email at all, but use texting and Facebook messages and wall posts. "We need to communicate through the channels they favor, and for more and more cohorts, this is becoming Facebook." ... Read the whole story > >

Retail

Sara Rue, 31, Is New Jenny Craig Celeb Client

by Tanya Irwin

"Jenny Craig has always appealed more to the middle-aged (35-45) housewife crowd, so the company has been trying to capture a younger customer," John LaRosa, a diet industry analyst and president of Marketdata Enterprises in Tampa, Fla., tells Marketing Daily. "That's why they hired Valerie Bertinelli." ... Read the whole story > >

Telecom

Ponder This: LG Warns Teens About Texting

by Aaron Baar

James Lipton -- bearded host of Bravo's "Inside the Actor's Studio" -- stars in the videos. In them, he removes his beard and places it on a teen who is considering sending a harmful text message. In one webisode, Lipton narrates as a boy, Carlos, contemplates sending a nasty text rumor about his ex-girlfriend, Claire. But before he can send the text, Lipton physically removes his beard and places it on the boy. ... Read the whole story > >

Research

NPD: Salty Snacks, Easy Meals To Lead Growth

by Karlene Lukovitz

In-home foods and meals in general will continue to benefit as the average age of the population rises over the next decade, says NPD's Ann Hanson, adding that the analysis also points to a continued trend toward less main meal skipping. "This means significant opportunities for ... food manufacturers, and food retailers, as well." ... Read the whole story > >

Restaurants

Dunkin' Has Tamed 'Wild West' Of Social Media

by Karl Greenberg

"Bringing disciplines together at the table has really worked for us," says Dunkin's Ben Smith. He says the company is trying to build brand awareness and relevance by helping customers feel more connected to the brand. "We might have had it easier [than other marketers] because there was already a loyal following out there." ... Read the whole story > >

Dunkin' Donuts, Amex Team On Card Bonuses

Eukanuba, Petco Partner With 'Cat Fancy'

Tiger Still Has Endorsement Mojo

Electronic Arts Launches Debit Card

Vespa Offers Discounts, Workout In New Campaign

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The $$$ Power of Women

From the WonderBranding.com blog:

Global Economy = Working Women. Are You Prepared?

Posted By Michele Miller

^[1]If you’re a regular viewer of any of the NBC/MSNBC news programs, you’d have to been deaf, dumb, and blind to miss numerous segments presented recently as part of Maria Shriver’s “A Woman’s Nation” ^[2] project. Based on The Shriver Report – a compilation of mostly essays and light surveys that chew over old material – the segments shed little light on where women are headed in work, careers, and family.

The one statistic that bears repeating is the percentage of women who are either the main breadwinners or co-breadwinners [Click to enlarge]:

^[3]










During a conference call with bloggers (worthy of a blog post in its own right – can you see me rolling my eyes?), former Clinton White House chief Jon Podesta ^[4] said, “We are very excited about this information. It just kind of snuck up on us!”

Really? Maybe you’ve just been inside that Washington bubble too long, Jon. As a girlfriend of mine said when I quoted her a few of the Shriver Report statistics, “What’s so new about that? We’re living it every day.”

^[5]The report you really should be paying attention to is much smaller. It was quietly tucked in the back third of the November 2nd edition of Newsweek. ^[6]

Titled, “Hear Her Roar,” the article focuses on the financial power women hold in the global economy – the lead-in to the article heralded:

Working women are poised to become the biggest economic engine the world has ever known.”

Surveys, studies, and in-depth research by such organizations as Boston Consulting Group, Goldman Sachs, and the National Bureau of Economic Research reveal that:

• Women currently control $13 trillion of the world’s $18.4 trillion in consumer spending. That is expected to rise to $18 trillion by 2014.
• Over the next five years, $5 trillion in new female-earned income will come online.
• A narrowing wage gap and rising female employment means that women will drive the shopping process even more than before.
• The new generation of women (with better equality in education and wages), will fill more Fortune 500 CEO positions – rising from today’s 38 to more than 100 in the next ten years.

^[7]

These facts alone have strong implications – for hiring (wages and promotion), human resources (flexibility in time, work space, and career track), product development, marketing and advertising.

The products, services, advertising message, and customer experience you create for your customers are about to become more important than ever.

You need to start thinking more about transparency, authenticity, and writing to different types of female customers. ^[8]

Just because it snuck up on Maria Shriver and Jon Podesta, doesn’t mean you have to let it sneak up on you.

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Social Media Monitoring

from Drew:

Don't get brand sabotaged (Todd Hogan)

Drew's Note: As I try to do on many a Friday , I'm pleased to bring you a guest post. Meet a thought leader who shares his insights every day. So without further ado...Todd Hogan.

Again, enjoy!

Monitoring your brand online can be a serious effort - the number of channels and outlets you need to track, the anonymity of potential brand attackers or even promoters, the speed with which fallacious information can spread and ruin the value of what would have once been a carefully planned and thoughtful brand approach.

It all makes for a challenge if you want to build your brand and not watch it be built for you (to either your detriment OR benefit). I think that's what Drew was talking about in this post re: fear.

To do a good job keeping abreast of your brand and promoting your brand's champions or quickly responding to brand threats, you could use paid real time monitoring services like biz360 or radian6. They make sense if you do have a very large brand - they can be great tools. But what if you aren't ready to spend the big bucks yet still want to influence the direction your brand is taking online?

At real time search engines like Surchur (here are some others for you to check out) you can track the majority of what you'd find on the elite brand monitoring services - all for free. Here are 3 tips to using a real time search engine to keep your brand image well above board:

Daily monitoring: Because the real time web is just that - real time - and it moves very quickly, waiting a week or two to check on your brand can be a disaster.

It's much better to respond to a potential threat with a real conversation (a topic for another post) immediately rather than weeks after a comment, tweet or post has lambasted your latest campaign. Enter your brand in a real time search engine a la this Nike example and see your brand as it is happening on the web. You'll likely be surprised where your brand is turning up.

Keep on top of all media types: Blogs, tweets, news, videos - they can all be an outlet for customer expression, and a place for your brand to find life or possibly get squeezed.

That's why we recommend you do more than just look at Twitter Search or your favorite blog search engine. Your customers will communicate according to their preferences and never fit into the neat little box we'd all like. Make sure to find a real time search approach that gives you a view on as many online methods as possible.

Automate the process: Though many of us can be disciplined and take the time everyday to check our brand, it helps to put in place an automatic method for being brand informed.

If your favorite real time search engine has an RSS feed you can follow add that to your favorite RSS reader or homepage like Netvibes. Make that your start page so that every time you open your browser you'll get the chance to see how you?re being talked about on the web. You can see an example at surchur using our previous example of Nike by visiting this link and see how quickly you can get a summary with a feed reader or feed enabled homepage.

Take your brand seriously and build it by managing the real time discussions that are taking place about you - not letting your worst detractors destroy your image with a few random tweets, posts or comments. Also with Surchur's newly released social platform it's easier for our users to influence the search results by voting or commenting -- engage the surchur community to vote your brand up and establish yourself as a positive contributor on the social web.

Todd Hogan is the founder of surchur.com and builds and manages a large portfolio of social media and search websites in collaboration with designers and developers around the world.

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew's Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.

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The Brush Off

from Art Sobczak:

What to Do With an Immediate Brush Off

Greetings!

At a training seminar this week I was asked what
to do with a prospect who blows you off the phone
even before you can get your opening statement
out of your mouth.

Should you just call back right away and act like
you were disconnected, he asked.

Well, you could, but really, is that going to cause
them to think how clever you are? I doubt it.

If this truly is a prospect that you want to pursue,
consider some alternatives.

First, consider that the prospect might be having a
bad day, or has just experienced an office emergency
requiring immediate attention. Therefore another contact
might be worth the investment, just not right now.

And instead of calling, try an email, fax or a brief note,
stating,

"I have the feeling I called you at a bad time the other day.
I apologize. The purpose for my call was to run an idea by
you that could potentially help you to (fill in the blank with
some result they would be interested in). I'd like to ask you
a few questions to determine if we have the basis for a
conversation. I will call you again on Friday, or you can
reach me at at 800-555-2922."

Is this likely to get a high response rate? No, but any
response you get would be better than the flat out "no,"
and the upside return on the investment could be huge.

Another alternative would be to simply place them back in
your calling rotation for a few weeks down the road. They
likely won't remember.

Go and Have Your Best Week Ever!

Art

Contact: Art Sobczak, President, Business By Phone Inc. 13254 Stevens St.,
Omaha, NE 68137, (402) 895-9399. Or, email:arts@businessbyphone.com

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Thursday Night Marketing News from Mediapost

I saw the KFC Ad last night...

Restaurants

KFC Is Now Competing On Calories

by Karlene Lukovitz

Kentucky Grilled Chicken is a permanent addition to KFC's menu (although pricing may change). Furthermore, the Yum Brands QSR, which is shooting to "own" the grilled chicken segment, has a full line of KGC menu items in the product pipeline, according to KFC spokesperson Rick Maynard. ... Read the whole story > >

Automotive

GM CEO News Overshadows Volt Unveiling

by Karl Greenberg

Chairman Ed Whitacre takes the vacant post as acting CEO until a replacement can be found, although a spokesperson insisted that Whitacre has no long-term intentions for the job. Meanwhile, Bob Lutz stays on as the company's vice chairman of marketing and communications. While many inside and outside of the company expressed surprise, many analysts were expecting Henderson's departure. ... Read the whole story > >

Food

Hidden Valley Ranch Sponsors Web Series

by Tanya Irwin

The six-episode series aims to entertain moms and kids while helping them incorporate vegetables and balanced eating habits into their families' diets. It will feature a veggie-of-the-month with weekly videos, information, tips and as well as interactive experiences. Jennie Garth will showcase each veggie and also receive recipe advice from restaurant chefs and veggie experts. ... Read the whole story > >

Retail

Black Friday Breaks Records, But Barely

by Sarah Mahoney

A much happier sound, of course, is the steady cha-ching coming from online retailers. ComScore reports that in November, shoppers have spent $12.26 billion online, a 3% gain from last year, and that spending on Cyber Monday hit $887 million, up 5%. That total, it says, matches the heaviest online spending day on record -- Dec. 9, 2008. ... Read the whole story > >

Retail

Gap Takes Its Cheer Act On The Road

by Sarah Mahoney

The Gap's Traveling "Cheer" squad -- a dozen professional dancers and drummers -- started handing out swag and coupons in New York, and is now bound for Chicago, L.A., and San Francisco. The company says the bus tour is part of its holiday campaign, celebrating this year's "classic cozy cabin" collection. ... Read the whole story > >

Telecom

Cell Phone Providers Still Not Pleasing People

by Aaron Baar

Having the latest and greatest phone -- a key marketing tactic of the carriers -- is still the way to get subscribers to switch plans. According to the publication, 38% of consumers who switched phones in the past two years did so to get the phone they wanted. More than a quarter of them (27%) went shopping with a specific phone in mind. ... Read the whole story > >

Football Fans Face Off In Frito Family Fest

Wal-Mart Woos Holiday Gamers With Price Cuts

GM's Lutz Provides Cautionary Branding Tale

Coors Light Sponsors Daddy Yankee Events

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It's not the Price, it's the Value

that makes us spend freely or run the other way.

From MarketingProfs.com:

Worth Every Penny

Why would anyone drive a BMW or shop at Nordstrom when, for a fraction of the price, they could drive a Volkswagen or shop at JC Penney? "[P]eople make trade-offs in their spending," writes Dale Furtwengler in his book Pricing for Profit. "They'll pay as little as possible for things they need, but don't want. Conversely, they'll pay extraordinary premiums for things they want, but don't need."

Because of this, he frowns on budget pricing for the high-quality products and services many customers want. Instead of cutting prices, he argues, you should consider raising prices by as much as 10 percent. Say what?

But he addresses four reasons businesses like yours often resist premium pricing. Here are two:

• We don't have the name awareness of our rivals. Although an introductory, limited-time offer can expand a new company's client base, Furtwengler advises against permanent discounts. "Whenever you feel tempted to lower your price because you don't have a well-established reputation," he notes, "Ask yourself the following question: 'Would I rather have the prospect walk away saying 'I wish I could afford his offerings' or 'His price is so low; I wonder if his offerings are any good?'"
• Low price points matter most. Were that the case, he counters, General Motors would be crushing Honda and Toyota. "Whenever you feel tempted to lower your price because you don't have a well-established reputation," he notes, "ask yourself the following question: Would I rather have the prospect walk away saying 'I wish I could afford his offerings' or 'His price is so low; I wonder if his offerings are any good?'"

The Po!nt: Price your product or service to reflect its true value, then show your customers why it's worth every penny.

Source: Pricing for Profit. Click here for more information.

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New Ad Campaigns

This weeks edition from Amy:

Mrs. Claus has needs... on Santa's busiest workday. "Joy Someone." You can't "app" a vacation. Let's launch!

Honda launched two TV spots promoting the Honda Accord Crosstour, dubbed an alternative option in the SUV/CUV realm. Both spots use pronounced polygonal animation and rhythmic music to demonstrate how Crosstour "fits, without fitting in." Equipment for activities ranging from white water rafting, playing Frisbee with your dog and stargazing fold neatly into "Boxes" that fit inside a Crosstour. Watch it here. "Instruments" large and small are transported from gigs via Crosstour, while "Fever" plays in the background. See it here. RPA created the campaign and handled the media buy.

Say your wife blatantly hints that your anniversary's around the corner or your colleague asks if you've read a recently sent email. Now, you can buy your wife flowers and read said colleague's email while on the phone with them. That's the gist of the first of two demo ads for Apple's iPhone. Users can place their caller on hold, make a purchase or check email, then return to the call. Watch it here. The next ad shows an iPhone owner talking to a friend who's unable to look up movie times or directions to the theatre. See it here. TBWA/Media Arts Lab created the campaign and handled the media buy.

There's no app that's equivalent to a vacation in the Florida Keys. And that's a good thing. The Monroe County Tourist Development Council launched a 30-second spot that resembles an iPhone, "There's an app for that," spot. This time around, however, as pictures of pristine water, canoeing, scuba diving, sunsets and fresh seafood dinner are flipped through with an index finger, a voiceover says, "There's no app for this. Real experiences are always worth more. So unplug and reconnect in the Florida Keys & Key West." Take that, Apple! Watch the ad here, created by Tinsley Advertising.

But how will Mrs. Claus explain the carrot, sticks and coal? Well, the coal is hers for being naughty... A picture of Santa Claus gets turned down, while Mrs. Claus gets turned on... by Frosty the Snowman, in an ad for Boost Mobile. The latest ad in the company's "Unwrong'd" campaign features a reindeer seeing Mrs. Claus in bed with a snowman while Santa is busy working. "What. You think this is wrong? Santa's busy and I have needs," explains Mrs. Claus in the ad promoting Boost Mobile's $50 unlimited monthly plan. Santa returns earlier than planned, so Mrs. Claus takes the hairdryer out to remove most of the evidence. The spot, seen here, begins airing today on MTV, FX, ESPN, SPIKE, VH1, and USA. 180LA created the campaign.

Mammoth Mountain launched a print campaign entitled "Birds of Mammoth." The birds are not what you'd expect. Birds descriptively showcased include skiers, snowboarders and a Horizon airplane, the newest bird flying at Mammoth. Look out for the "California Winged Cougar," "Naked Pale Aler," "Spotted Chickadee" and "Black Diamondback," among others. The ad, seen here, will run throughout Northern and Southern California. David&Goliath created the ad.

My favorite part of this ad is Neil Patrick Harris yelling, "Out of my way, freak," to a green dinosaur. Motorola launched "Valley," an ad promoting its Cliq phone that's equipped with Motoblur. Multiple email accounts, Facebook updates and Twitter feeds merge together in one place, allowing the user to select what's important in a herd of information. The character in the spot sorts through a slew of incoming information and chooses the girl as his main priority. See the ad here, created by Ogilvy New York and edited by Tim Hardy of Cut + Run/NY.

T-Mobile's myTouch 3G campaign is all about you and the ability to individually customize phones. The latest ad premiered during the American Music Awards and stars Wyclef Jean, Avril Lavigne and Brad Paisley, musicians with different tastes. Jean keeps a picture of his daughter close by; Lavigne scrolls through her music collection and Paisley watches a performance of himself interacting with fans. Watch the ad here, created by Publicis in the West.

The Illinois Lottery launched a holiday ad that encourages people to "Joy Someone" by giving others a holiday scratch-off ticket. And by others, I mean "the guy who took away your futon, the man who shampooed and conditioned your carpet, plus the butcher who sliced your beef paper-thin." These unexpected lyrics are sung to the classic holiday song, "Joy to the World." See the ad here, created by Energy BBDO Chicago and directed by Aaron Ruell of Biscuit Filmworks.

Random iPhone App of the week: Like Guinness? Not in Ireland? This app is for you. The brand launched Guinness Pub Finder, an app that allows U.S. residents to "Locate a Pint" using GPS to draw them to the closest pubs serving Guinness. The app provides the name, address and telephone number of the selected pub chosen, access to directions, and a prepared email to send to friends. The app includes access to games, quizzes and "Know Your Pint," a tutorial on the six steps to creating the perfect pint. KICK Design created the $1.99 app, available here.

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

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