Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Branding (and Marketing) Strategies for 2009


For most marketers and branders, 2008 was the year that sucked. No matter how creative you tried to be, no matter how innovative you thought your campaigns were, your sales plummeted.

Blame it on malaise, blame it on the fastest falling economy in a century. That was before your grandfather was born. Get over it. 2009 isn't gong to be any easier, and you'll need to be sharper and more focused, and more flexible than you would have ever thought possible.

And in all due respect to those that say "Oh Gee, You Must have an MBA to run our marketing and advertising!!"... I say, Good luck. What's going on in today's economy isn't something that professors at graduate school have any experience in....whether marketing, branding, advertising, finance, or human talent management.

OK..here's my thought on branding, advertising (and marketing) strategies for '09:

Disregard what I might have said earlier about negative advertising, and otherwise dissing or exploiting your competition. We're heading into a take-the-gloves off battle for the purse strings.. There's only one survivor. And, as mentioned in the week before last in the WSJ, the following strategies are fair game:

Brand Extensions;
i. Compatible Products. Come up with something that complements and existing branded product. Think iPod.

ii. Ornamental Use of Trademarks. Go on to Google to find out what you can do without infringing, but otherwise exploiting a recognized logo.

iii. Comparative Advertising. My favorite (when you can actually come up with strong arguments i.e. why your product is better (because its less expensive, it works better, it tastes better, it lasts longer, or smarter people prefer it...pick one, or pick 'em all)

Hint-be careful. I did a comparative ad pitting Soapopular's alcohol-free hand sanitizer against the incumbent, sticky, smelly and irritating Purell brand. The ad headline said "Purell=Alcohol Poisoning".. and the follow up text simply said : Soapopular. So Popular because its Alcohol-Free."

[My justification was a 2007 report issued by the US Association of Poison Control Centers that found close to 12,000 cases of alcohol poisoning in kids 6 and under directly attributed to alcohol based hand sanitizers. Pretty straight forward.

Johnson & Johnson had their lawyer send my client a harsh 'cease and desist" letter. Instead of defending the ad, and telling J&J to take a walk, my client thought it better not to pinch a sleeping elephant, although we all knew that the publicity alone of a legal battle would have been worth millions in free advertising. ]

While there is no 'fact' i.e. who is right and who is wrong on this particular topic, and 'fair-use doctrines can be argued until hell freezes over, but the fact is, that wimps aren't going to be winning in '09.

Parody Advertising: Using another brand to promote a non-competing product. Case in point: Coors beer commercial spoofing the Energizer Bunny. Coors didn't pay a dime to use the Bunny. As long as you don't tarnish or denegrate the brand that you are parodying, and stay creative, you can get lots of frequent flier mileage .

Outlandish: The photo image above right was inserted into an online ad strategy this year and in less than 6 hours, it scored 10,000 unique hits--that means 10,000 people clicked it on and went to the company's website. I 'm not at liberty to disclose how much was generated in sales for the product.

Today's WSJ included a story about a Russian Ph.d who, in 1976, predicted the fall of communism, and he's apparently now getting more than a little traction predicting the end of capitalism in the US. (click on the aforementioned link).. Actually, he's predicting the end of the US as we know it. (I could have told you that we'd have a few rough years ahead, but this guy has something much more profound in mind..)

This very learned fellow is suggesting that before the end of 2010, the US will have endured a civil war, resulting in three separate unions within our border. If that ends up proving true, than following my push-the-envelope marketing, branding and advertising advice in 2009 will have proven to be that much smarter of an idea. And, if this Russian Dr. Strangelove is wrong about his dire predictions, you'll have merely set yourself apart and established the foundation for flexible thinking.

Forget about the 'thinking out of the box". Tell yourself there is no box.

More to follow as the new year rolls in.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Sex Sells (but a Commitment Can Help)

"..Sex in advertising is generally thought to be more useful in selling to men than to women. But a study soon to be published in The Journal of Consumer Research finds that this effect is reversed when emotional intimacy justifies the sex.

In one experiment, the researchers found that women preferred a sexually explicit watch advertisement when the watch had a bow around it and was described as “a gift from a man to the special woman in his life.” But such positioning hurt the ad’s appeal to men. Drawing on previous research in sexual psychology, the authors note that women are more likely to “need the justification of relationship commitment for sexual behavior” and that men “typically felt quite uneasy about having to part with substantial pecuniary resources in a dating context.”

In another experiment, researchers had women proofread blocks of text (supposedly as part of a separate study), then rate a sexually explicit ad. Women who read about a loving, committed couple rated the ad more highly than did women who read about a couple in which the man was disloyal and philandering..."

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

My Last Word on Hedge Fund Marketing: Case Study Fairfield Greenwich Group

Some of you know that I spent more than 15 minutes on Wall Street--actually more than 15 years.

Starting as a trader, I burnt out (truth be told, more like 'flammed out') and re-purposed myself as an operating executive, than as a risk manager, and for the past few years, I've leveraged all of those experiences and now I'm a sought after marketing guru that's been enlisted to position companies and help them craft their value proposition statements.

Having worn the hat of 'marketing exec' for several different regulated, financial firms, including the world's largest bank, I'm particularly sensitive (as were all of my partners/employers) insofar as what you say you do, and what you put in writing that you do.

And when you put it on the internet, you might as well cast it in stone for all eternity. Just like emails, just like press releases, and most other digital foot and finger prints that can come back to haunt.

Case study: a little known firm in Greenwich CT called Fairfield Greenwich Group, their website suggests there about 10-12 partners, but they seem to have lots of money under management; 15 billion according to their marketing poop. Their entities are comprised of a registered broker/dealer-which means they're regulated by amongst others something called the "SEC".

As in "Yes, I See. ..that you've violated all kinds of regs, but don't worry, we'll let it pass...do you think you have a job opening for me?")

What's my point?? Fairfield Greenwich's website actually has extremely comprehensive text displaying the very detailed, almost microscopic auditing they purportedly do on a weekly basis of the fund managers they invest in. Including auditing brokerage statements and analyzing the transactions displayed in those statements.

Here's the link to that page. Click it now before they remove it from their website

(There's another link below that you'll want to go to as well; authored by friend and well-known author and film maker Michael Covel. )

But-
Rule 1. Never.. and I mean absolutely NEVER put that kind of stuff on a website. Many website experts even suggest "DO NOT PUT EXECUTIVE PROFILES ON WEBSITE". I'm not sure that I agree with the latter, but in this case, the excruciatingly detailed 'due diligence representations made by this regulated company are almost certain to get them tarred, feathered and embroiled in litigation for the next ten years.

Fairfield Greenwich probably won't survive the litigation, at least their corporate shells won't. The principals in this case will, regrettably for many, likely enjoy the fruits of the fees they've been paid ($500 million!) for years to come while the lawyers dicker about, and while the victims watch any remaining assets be dickered over by the "many experts" that will be retained to sift through the ashes.


Oh--for those that think its unwise or unprofessional for a marketing consultant that has clients from within the financial industry to lambast a firm from within the industry on a blog...I call 'em the way I see 'em.

Here's the link to Michael Covel's comments. Similar observations have been made, but Michael's presentation is perfectly black and white. CLICK HERE TO READ

My last word on Madoff. Actually, it appears to be Madoff's last words, or that of a creative blogger that has a unique perspective on the Madoff fraud. Click here.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Financial Firm Marketing Strategies: Madoff


As of this posting, there have been more than 5000 news stories and blog comments, but since I'm connected to one of the several hundred individual investors that were victimized, the tell-tale signs of something awry were as plain as the nose on anyone's face.

Since 2001, the marketing strategies used by Madoff were lampooned by at least two different forensic accounting firms enlisted by the very very few that were responsible enough to hire a third-party expert before proceeding with investing. Based on those reports, those particular prospective investors walked away. Two of them ran away. And those reports were ultimately circulated throughout the hedge fund industry.

1. the only 5 people with access to the firm's financial records were immediate family members, all with the name Madoff
2. the auditing firm that published the firm's statements was a 2-man office in the suburbs of NY.
3. If one asked too many questions, they were not allowed to invest.
4. Professional hedge funds, that employ mathematicians with knowledge of the purported strategies used, repeatedly stated the those strategies simply couldn't produce the types of returns promoted by Madoff.

For a successful fraud or Ponzi scheme to work, you only need one element: Greedy Investors. Those that put their entire net worth with a firm that claimed to engage in stock and option trading during a period of historic market volatility, but somehow managed to produce consistent 10 percent returns and pay out the same amounts on a monthly basis, despite a 40% decline in the stock market were delusional and greedy.
Of course, shame on the SEC for violating their own mandates and failing to examine the firms records for the past two years.

Yes, shame on the "advisors" that put their clients money into this firm and had failed to hire a third party auditing firm in advance; and shame on the third party auditors that failed to come to the same conclusion as the two auditors that distributed their "red flag" findings to the industry at large several years ago. Those that breached their fiduciary responsbilities should be held accountable. Too bad that their E&O coverage was written by AIG.

The hedge fund industry at large has prided itself on marketing strategies that otherwise incorporate phrases such as secrecy, special, select, proprietary, cannot be disclosed.

Amazingly, those marketing strategies will continue to work, as long as greed remains a primary motivator.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Layoffs and the Impact on Marketing and Branding--New Study Says It All


For those marketing, sales, investor relations, or brand management executives, if this study doesn't resonate with you, nothing will.

Leadership IQ Study: Don’t Expect Layoff Survivors To Be Grateful
WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 10, 2008 – If your company is undertaking a layoff, be forewarned: Your surviving employees are not going to work harder out of gratitude. According to a new study by Leadership IQ, 74% of employees who kept their job amidst a corporate layoff say their own productivity has declined since the layoff. And 69% say the quality of their company’s product or service has declined since the layoffs.

Leadership IQ, a leadership research and training company, compiled these results after surveying 4,172 workers who remain employed following a corporate layoff. These subjects were drawn from 318 companies that have undertaken layoffs in the past 6 months. Employees were asked questions about productivity, product quality, workforce issues and management effectiveness.
Other key study findings about the state of the workplace following the layoffs include:
• 87% of surviving workers say they are less likely to recommend their organization as a good place to work
• 64% of surviving workers say the productivity of their colleagues has also declined.
• 81% of surviving workers say the service that customers receive has declined.
• 77% of surviving workers say they see more errors and mistakes being made.
• 61% of surviving workers say they believe their company’s future prospects are worse.

According to the group that did the survey, there are actually ways to address these issues so that your brand doesn't implode altogether while you slice away your most important assets. Don't ask us, call them; they're the experts.

Or tune in to Fox Business "Money For Breakfast" at 8 am Thursday Dec 11 and you can watch and listen live.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Innovative Thinking : Premiums That Sell.- Introducing the Laptop Cabana


We may be tipping their hands, but its already patent pending--so hats off to MGS Brands of Fairfield, CT for creating a very compelling way for corporate brands to extend their message.

We all know that premium merchandise is a low cost vehicle for marketing, branding and advertising...and what better time than to introduce a particularly inexpensive, and uniquely utilitarian device?

They call it the Laptop Cabana. Blocks the piercing sun and the peering eyes. (The fabric on the inside is actually a completely sun-blocking vinyl)

Can you see your corporate logo on the outside, a family of design styles?
Less than three steps required to attach and dis-assemble, washable, portable and compatible. Totes and umbrellas and ball caps are so yesterday. This cute little laptop awning will be attracting eyeballs everywhere that you see someone using a laptop computer: campus libraries, airports, airplanes, trains, every Starbucks in the world. Need I count the ways and the places?

Those corporate brand experts that are interested should contact the people at MGS directly (Click on the headline link to get to their website).

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Run on the Bank's Brand: What Not To Do.

Ouch. At the obvious risk of turning away potential clients that are put off by vulgarism, we can’t hold punches. The marketing and communication strategies that one particular bank is implementing will go down in history as a text book example of a continuous, across-the board failure to be PROACTIVE and anticipatory about the impact of critical decisions.

1. Like every other bank, this one's rocket scientists, and MBA wearing, algorothimic geniuses somehow failed to anticipate the potential change in market environments, explaining their overweighted holdings in funky fixed income assets. And, before I continue, let me apologize to the rocket scientists at that bank who had presciently raised the unheeded warning flags directed to the former and current executive management. And, pardon me for saying so to the Chairman of this behemoth bank, but being in the same camp as Alan Greenspan insofar as pointing to the fuzzy nature of predictive science, isn’t a posture that anybody wants to embrace.

Here’s the point. Two weeks ago, the bank's marketing communications staff initiated a punch out program laying the ground work for across the board interest rates hikes in consumer and business credit cards. The ‘message’ was that the bank would be increasing borrowing on credit cards by 2%-3%.

Lo and and behold, I got my notification today. And what an eye-opener!

My interest rate was upped from 7% to 14.99% on two different cards, a whopping 100% increase in my interest rate, with an aggregate balance of $30,000, and a credit limit of $50,000..which was actually increased only two weeks ago, according to a special thank you email from the bank telling me what a great customer I am.

I’ve been a card holder for 20 years, and I have an 800+ credit score. I’ve never once missed a payment. Yet, I’m being asked to shore up the company's balance sheet, notwithstanding the fact that they’ve got access to hundreds of $billions of Fed money at a rate of 2%.

Raising my credit limit and two weeks later, doubling my interest rate smacks of predatory lending, but at least I'm smart enough to know that the borrowing ball is the wrong dance to be attending. And, we all know that as the litigation against banks and brokerages pick up, the line will be longer than the unemployment lines at GM.

OK. Shit happens. More important: anyone and everyone that takes on debt should understand there’s no free lunch. And so what if the country's top bank is getting a couple of hundred billion of bailout funding..(did the news report say $350 Billion??)from Uncle Sam and Uncle Hank (Paulson), and apparently, without any strings attached..i.e. without making sure that the bank actually makes money available to consumers and business borrowers to keep the wheels of capitalism turning.

Here’s the point i.e brand and marketing messages when a company is in crisis mode; so its a point that should be appreciated by a large majority of businesses, of all sizes.

1. Just like the gurus at the bank either failed to understand, or purposefully chose to ignore risk projections, the same morons are failing to understand that by increasing the cost of loan terms to their best customers, without having any programs in place to appease or address the tens of thousands of exceptions; those that have always paid on time and in full, they are destroying their brand faster than a speeding bullet.

I’m going to be one of those that says “not too big to fail”, and I’m going to tell my credit card issuing bank to take their credit balance and eat it. After all, my tax dollars, and most likely, my future social security entitlements are however indirectly, being used to bail this bank out today.

My guess is that no less than 50,000 of their several million customers will be doing the same over the next six months. That’s $1.25 billion in charge offs, another several billion in write downs i.e. projected interest income, and billions more lost in fees from those that stopped using the bank's brand credit card.

Now lets talk about a topic I raised several days ago; the impact on the brand when a company executes a layoff program as if they were an Appalachian abortionist. Again, I apologize if the phraseology is offensive.

The bank has announced unprecedented, across the board layoffs. Last week, as a professional courtesy, I emailed the six top HR managers at the bank and informed them of a great, and free webinar hosted by LeadershipIQ Guru Mark Murphy on the topic of how to manage layoffs with compassion, and without crushing the enterprise.

Those six individuals rec'd the email, but they were too busy firing people to pay attention to learn how to do it properly, and how to preserve whatever might be left, or so it seems.

How do I know this? In my communication with the 'customer service' staff and trying to understand how my rates could have literally doubled, the nice young girl on the phone broke down in tears and said she was "overwhelmed with hundreds of calls from people all asking why, when interest rates are going down, and the bank has been infused with how many tens of billions, could they be putting their best borrowers out in the rain?."

The young lady said "well the prime rate is going from six percent to nine percent this week, so we have to increase our rates.." The prime rate is actually at around 4%, so I could tell she wasn't particularly well-equipped to address my issue. So I switched the topic of conversation and told her that she might want to find another job before the house crumbles completely. She said she has "absolutely no idea whether she too will be losing her job at any moment." She told me that each of her coworkers had the same fear.

Not a great message to be sending to a customer, especially one with a blog that connects to tens of dozens of investment managers. It speaks volumes as to how poorly the bank's management is managing their staff and (not) communicating important messages. The brand means nothing without having the talent to support the value proposition. Mismanage the talent, and you mismanage the brand.

The remaining shareholders of this particular bank, and the remaining employees that have a managerial role should only hope that management realizes that they have no idea on how to manage a large infrastructure in a time of crisis, and that they need to bring in human talent experts; those that specialize in corporate crisis. If they don't understand these fundamental concepts, the entire management team should be fired, if not taken out and tarred and feathered.

The bank is apparently ignoring two of the most fundamental observations i.e. talent management, recently highlighted by LeadershipIQ's Mark Murphy in a very lively and live webinar that was attended by 1000 HR execs..I don't know if this partiuclar company's staff were too busy to attend, but they were invited, they just didn't show up. Perhaps they don't think they need any insight from an outside expert on this topic, or any other topic.

1. Don't Fire Talented Workers Just to Replace Them with Lower-Paid people. In fact, Citi IS firing high paid, top perfomers, and replacing them with untrained, low paid workers..except for those in the executive office of course. Those guys and gals are staying around to soak up their bonus allotments, which are 'contractually due to them', and now being subsidized courtesy of the billions they are receiving from me and you. Massive mistake.

2. Communicate the company's employment position and strategy crisply and clearly to all. Provide specific training to the managers delivering this message BEFORE the message is delivered. Have a clear message for those that remain.

If only based on the conversation I had on the phone with the customer service rep, is displaying a Total Failure to communicate to the remaining work force and give them a clear understanding of what their job security is.

Sure, nobody can really know for sure what tomorrow might bring, as the bank could simply close its doors tomorrow if the check from Uncle Sam bounces. But, the point is, when a customer service employee tells a customer that she has no idea about whether she will have a job tomorrow, that's not a good thing. The fact that she could not address my particular issue is completely beside the point.

3. Don't do stage-based layoff announcements. Do a full cleansing in one fell swoop. Stage-based layoffs, i.e. announcing a layoff in November, and holding back the January announcement about further layoffs is a recipe for disaster. So far this particular bank has announced three series of layoffs in the past eight months. The company's CEO says "our strategy hasn't changed."

OK, the business climate is changing on a day to day basis, so a company's ability to project out six months out, and consider the changes that might need to be made to workforce might be tough. Somehow, the bank's legion of rocket scientists, the ones that forecast five and ten years out on a variety of investment strategies, are unable to forecast how their own business will fare over the next six months. Will there be a 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% drop in earnings over the next 6 months to a year?. Apparently nobody has a clue.

So far, every single step that the executive leadership has taken suggests they are as out of touch with their own business as George W. was with the realities of foreign policy, and, as was his administration with respect to financial industry regulatory policy. And, so that we cross the aisle, shame on Barney Frank, and every other ill-educated Democrat that championed a mortgage for every voter, regardless of whether they could afford it.

As it turns out, this bank is far from learning its lesson on how to preserve brand integrity in times of crisis. Personally, I don’t care. I’m not a share holder, and I don’t necessarily embrace the same politics or culture as one of its largest shareholders, a Middle Eastern sheikh (actually a prince), even if he is widely acknowledged to be a smart guy, and even a very personable guy.

What’s a brand like this to do?? Here are few simple ideas, although they might be too simple for the complex minds at a global bank.

1. As quickly and easily as you’ve made rash decisions over the past months, leverage your internal resources and introduce a plan that helps your customers manage their outstanding debt. Don’t hit them over the head with a brick, especially after Bush and Co just approved a $25 billion+ infusion. You are almost drowning i new cash. How with a straight face (i.e. brand integrity) can you turn back your best customers?

2.Take a deep breadth. Yes, protect your outstanding receivables, but provide customers with a proactive step-by-step program that can help them FOR FREE, lower their outstanding debts. Ween them off debt, just like you weened them on to it. Its all about perception management.

Sounds stupid? Actually its brilliant. And this exact strategy has been used successfully in prior recessions by local banks in different parts of the country.

Just last week, I heard from a banker in Chicago soliciting our firm to help ‘message’ the same type of consumer credit counseling program that he successfully implemented back in the 1980’s, during an economic tailspin that turned the Midwest upside down. When he first created the program for his bank, the management was a bit leery about providing free debt counseling, and keeping the bank open at night and on weekends so that customers could come in for private counseling sessions. The program was a massive success. The number of loan delinquencies dropped by double digits, savings deposits increased, and new customers came into the bank.

This tailspin is a tsunami, and the sooner that the banks ‘get it’, and take PROACTIVE steps that not only protect their balance sheet, but their BRAND, and their good will, the greater the chances are that those financial institutions will survive

Online Advertising: Black Box Behavioral Ad Designs Lead to Green-filled Cash Registers?

Advertising is all about capturing eyeballs, and according to an interesting piece in the business section of today's NY Times, at least two advertising agencies (Adisn and Tumri) are working to solve the complexities of behavioral marketing and the impact on ad design--computer generated ad elements that target specific websites based on the user demographics..

Different colors, different fonts, different key words within the ad text, all based on how specific types of consumers have responded to different types of ad elements.

Smart stuff!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

The Inexorable Link Between Sales and Marketing

I shout this just about every day. In fact, in a recent "client-facing" consultation with a young MBA wizard, when I was asked whether our strong suit was marketing or B2B sales, I felt compelled to remind the client the reason they had brought me in the first place--i.e. our tag line "We Connect the Tag Line to the Bottom Line"

TheStreet.com has a columnist that was compelled to post a recent article from Entrepreneur.com's Mark Stevens; "Sales and Marketing. Separated at Birth?" which suggests that either the media so deprived of content that it needs to fill space with business wisdom taught in elementary schools, or that there might be some people left in the world that don't understand the interconnection between marketing and sales.

Yes, it takes a certain skill set to create the "image" and "package" it,and another skill set to "sell" it. But if those two skill sets aren't continuously working hand in hand, whoever owns that business might want to think about changing careers.

And, if you've got employees that don't understand the link between the two practice areas, save yourself some time and energy and simply fire them. If they don't get it by now, they never will.

Click on the link to the article, its a good read. Especially for high school students that won't be able to afford to pay for college or graduate school in this period of economic reflection. If your MBA-trained managers need to read it, that's really scary.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Somali Group Offers To Buy Citigroup

We couldn't resist: The art of the press release...

November 20 (Bloomberg) -- The Somali pirates, renegade Somalis known for hijacking ships for ransom in the Gulf of Aden, are negotiating a purchase of Citigroup.

The pirates would buy Citigroup with new debt and their existing cash stockpiles, earned most recently from hijacking numerous ships, including most recently a $200 million Saudi Arabian oil tanker. The Somali pirates are offering up to $0.10 per share for Citigroup, pirate spokesman Sugule Ali said earlier today. The negotiations have entered the final stage, Ali said. ``You may not like our price, but we are not in the business of paying for things. Be happy we are in the mood to offer the shareholders anything," said Ali.

The pirates will finance part of the purchase by selling new Pirate Ransom Backed Securities. The PRBS's are backed by the cash flows from future ransom payments from hijackings in the Gulf of Aden. Moody's and S&P have already issued their top investment grade ratings for the PRBS's.

Head pirate, Ubu Kalid Shandu, said "we need a bank so that we have a place to keep all of our ransom money. Thankfully, the dislocations in the capital markets has allowed us to purchase Citigroup at an attractive valuation and to take advantage of TARP capital to grow the business even faster."

Shandu added, "We don't call ourselves pirates. We are coastguards and this will just allow us to guard our coasts better."

Courtesy of our wry friends at JLC Group...Hey-put that bottle of rye down! :)

The Marketing Impact of Managing Layoffs

In this new era of economic reflection, its fair to say that 6 out of 10 companies have already started, or are in the process of evaluating and/or implementing a downsizing initiative.

Having held senior positions at three global companies, and being recruited by two dozen+ small, medium and large companies, all facing "gale force headwinds", its safe to say that a very small percentage of HR managers have any extensive practical experience, truly appreciate, and/or have any training in the area of wide-scale downsizings and managing the post mortem process.

Yes, we're referring to grief counseling, as those that are left behind are the ones that have to be attended to.

What does this have to do with marketing? Just about everything.

As the attrition rate escalates, remaining employee morale is a priority that too many people discount (marketing execs, sales execs, etc), and truth be told, the team managers that are responsible for taking proactive steps to ensure ongoing productivity are often ill-equipped, or too distracted wondering about their own future.

The internal communication process is the foundation for any/all outbound initiatives. Low employee morale leads to reduced productivity, lower quality of goods/services, and ultimately to lower sales/revenue. And no amount of advertising can fix that problem. That's when the brand starts to disintegrate.

Screw up the layoff process, and you'll easily poison the well for those that remain. Its that simple.

The country's biggest banks and financial service firms are already implementing unheralded, enterprise wide layoffs. As are every company serving the auto industry, the lodging industry, etc etc.

Sure, the big ones have legions of HR execs to help "manage" the process, and to otherwise implement programs that ensure remaining employees stay loyal, stay focused and stay productive.

Aside from a lack of perceived objectivity, one could argue whether any of these companies and their respective HR people truly understand what needs to be done; which is why outside crisis management and objective corporate grief counselors need to be brought in.

Real experts, not "internal HR managers", but objective, outside professionals that really know what they're doing, and have broad experience dealing with these situations.

If your company is downsizing and recognizes how important it is to 'invest' precious dollars in your remaining human talent--I'd heartily recommend that you contact the people at LeadershipIQ. It just so happens that the firm's CEO Mark Murphy, who just finished a gig teaching the teachers at Harvard University is an expert on the topic..just look at his resume, or search him on Google : MARK MURPHY LEADERSHIP IQ

Don't look at how much money you don't have, just call him.

Commenting about Competitors: Marketing Basics

Courtesy of our friends at MarketingProfs.com:

"...In a post at Gapingvoid, Hugh MacLeod tells the story of a superstar blogger who publicly congratulated a corporate competitor for joining the blogosphere. In her "welcome to the neighborhood" post, she also complimented one of her competitor's products, "which truth be told," says MacLeod, "is … really good … for that industry."

A senior executive at her own company quickly excoriated the superstar in an internal email that bemoaned the press she gave to a competitive product. "What the poor suit doesn't realize, of course, is that on a basic, primal level, how you talk about your competition actually says a lot more about you, than talking about yourself ever will," says MacLeod.

He argues that a willingness to acknowledge the quality in a competitor's product or service underscores the confidence you have in your own. Great artists, he notes, often champion protégés and colleagues; hacks, meanwhile, run around denouncing established artists as overrated or untalented. "Animals can smell fear," says MacLeod, "or the lack thereof." And when the superstar explained this rationale to the executive, he eventually came around to her perspective.

We see plenty of Marketing Inspiration in MacLeod's philosophy: "[W]hat's true at cocktail parties is also true in marketing," he says. "If you want to be boring, talk about yourself. If you want to be interesting, talk about something other than yourself."

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Marketing Communications and The News Media: Former TV News Anchor Launches Consulting Firm

Here's an interesting idea: Create a consulting firm and assemble a global team of news media reporters/jouranalists, talking heads, and other media professionals that can be tapped into by corporate clients seeking their collective opinions on the potential impact of a pending corporate news announcement.

Given that many, if not most of the news media members are spin masters, it makes perfect sense that they'd be called upon to opine on how their peers would present the upcoming news story.

Created by former MSNBC Anchor Dan Abrams, the business model for the firm is equally compelling; they'll bill out an hourly basis (and presumably they'll also offer extended retainer agreements so that a corporate client can present an unlimited number of queries).

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Do You Want to Know What the Most Successful Advertising Strategy Is?

Can asking a question in an ad increase sales?
Yes.

Do you want to know the secret to constructing a well-built, hard-working, money-sucking question?

Rule #1 Never give the reader time to think about the answer. Just point him to where he/she can find the answer CLICK HERE NOW ITS FREE

And kudos to Barry A. Densa and the gang at MarketingProfs.com

Social Media in Times of Economic Reflection: If you don't use it, you could lose it (potential sales)

Below excerpt from an Oct 13 WSJ online article with tips on how to market in ever-more challenging times.

Personally speaking, the first sentence i.e. "hottest trend on the web is social media" is an observation that's been made thousands of times over the past several years...but the fact of the matter is that social networking has always been the most impactful form of advertising/marketing. Six degrees of separation goes a long way...
Perfect example: A marketing staffer at Hachette Publication was assigned the task to surf social networking sites, starting with LinkedIn, as part of a campaign to promote a new novel from David Baldacci. She necessarily searched profiles of members that included "favorite authors", and it so happens that my LinkedIn profile included several of my favs, including David Baldacci.

Since my phone and email address are displayed on my profile, this lovely gal phoned me up, introduced herself, and solicited my mailing address so that she could send a FREE copy of Baldacci's latest book. A week later, a lovely package arrived from Hachette, well before the book becomes available in book stores.
Its a good one too!(a continuation of the Camel Club/Oliver Stone series). Hachette is out the cost of a hardcover book, plus postage.

In return, they've earned my continued loyalty to the author, my new-found appreciation for Hachette, and unbeknown to the marketing department, this posting in the blogosphere--which will presumably be read by the many hundreds of fans that tune in to my latest musings, and since many of them are like-minded, at least several will be inspired to buy Baldacci's book at Barnes and Noble.. Long live Social Media

TAP INTO SOCIAL MEDIA

The hottest trend on the Web is social media -- services that allow people to connect with friends, family and colleagues, as well as interact with people around common interests. Social sites could prove crucial to marketers around holiday time, since shoppers often turn to people they know for help with making gift decisions.

"People trust people like themselves more than they trust experts," says Greg Verdino, chief strategy officer at Crayon LLC, a social-media marketing consultancy based in Westport, Conn. "It would be advantageous to have these folks telling your story."

Among the most important social sites for small companies are those where consumers post reviews of local businesses, such as Citysearch and Yelp. Matt McGee, director of strategic search at KeyRelevance, a search-marketing agency based in Dallas, recommends that businesses find ways to address poor reviews as well as encourage their loyal customers to write positive reviews. Companies might do this when they send emails to customers to confirm completed orders or in follow-up notes a few weeks later.

A strong presence on review sites "encourages other shoppers to become customers, it's good word-of-mouth marketing and can have long-term impact in the search engines, which often award better rankings to well-reviewed businesses," Mr. McGee says.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Jerry Yang Set to Step Down as Yahoo CEO ; SEC puts Cuban into the Penalty Box

Although there's no need to link the media stories blanketing the two headline stories, rule of thumb suggests that its good protocol insofar as ensuring that this blog's comments get noticed.

1. In all due respect, and without intending to be rude or discourteous, Jerry Yang was pulling on his wang when he thought that his return to the CEO office would help resuscitate Yahoo!'s business model. Even Carl Icahn figured out that Yang didn't have the gravitas that was needed in the current environment.

His notice of resignation should be seen as a bright spot to anyone that is actually in the position to take over the company. Given the current financing challenges, this will be remembered as one of the great "take unders" of the new economy.

2. Mark Cuban is one of the brashest, most opinionated remnants of the Internet Bubble Age. He's also one of the smartest, savviest entrepreneurs of this generation, as well as the prior generation--and perhaps the next generation. Unlike many that minted millions building net-cenric platforms and cashing out with big bucks, Cuban has a well-documented track record for plowing his money back into well thought out businesses.

OK. He's brash, and he's been tagged with more fines by the NBA than a combination of outspoken coaches and push the envelope players. He calls them as he sees them.

Our opinion is that the SEC's charges, alleging purported five year old insider trades made by Cuban five years are not only trumped, but begets a more important question: "What is the SEC doing investing its time and valuable resources in pusuing outdated actions against a basketball team owner, when they would seemingly have more important things to pursue?

OK. He's a deep pocket. And, he might be in a position to write a check for a few tens of millions that can otherwise help Uncle Sam pay for the hundreds of billions that Sam and Henry have allocated to bailing out banks and Wall Sreet firms.

But why aren't those SEC guys spending their time going after the hundreds of millions of dollars that bigger targets walked away with????

Enough said.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Google Says: Video Chat is Next

We pat ourselves on the back for prescient pontificating--if you look back several weeks ago, we shouted out that interactive, live video broadcast applications, including pay-per-view platforms will be the next 'big thing' for those in the talking head industry.

Lo and behold, Google's top guns just announced they too share the wisdom, and that Goog will be launching a platform allowing people to video chat between themselves. Although AOL and MSN have supported this application for a long time (just plug in a web cam and a microphone, and you're there), its nice to see that Goog's senior product management team "gets it". (That said, we had shouted out to Goog 4 years ago that adwords needs to support demographic zoning and targeting of ads, it took them another 2 1/2 years to introduce it..)

Here's a quote:

"..people love being able to watch something exactly as it happened," wrote Google product manager Serge Lachapelle.

"And as webcams have become popular, more and more of us are realizing that video is the next best thing to an in-person conversation."

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Marketing Communications: Hiring Manager's Role in the new age of Economic Reflection

We typically comment on the importance of branding vis a vie consistently integrating marketing communication strategies so as to extend across the entire enterprise-including IR and PR initiatives. In this new era of economic reflection, where the importance of preserving brand integrity must necessarily include the role of HR managers, and their respective campaigns.

We all know that tens of thousands of workers, including white collar, are being displaced, creating anxiety and frustration for everyone involved. Notwithstanding the fact that there's a lot more firing than hiring taking place, companies are hiring new employees, either to replace those that have retired (or let go because of performance issues), and/or those that are expanding specific departments. According to claims made by TheLadders.com, a website that advertises 100k+ jobs, HR managers and headhunters are purportedly trying to fill thousands of white collar jobs, even in this climate.

If you are hiring, you'd want to make sure that your HR staff, and the respective hiring manager is particularly sensitive to the import of how they communicate with candidates, in particular, the follow up process.

Here's an example of a company that apparently overlooked this basic element, at least according to the senior executive that shared his experience with us:

Company A, a financial industry company that publishes research and ratings, advertised a senior executive business development opening via an industry social networking site. Stan Smith (a pseudonym for the purpose of this posting), employed at another firm, noticed the opportunity on the business networking site. Believing this would be an opportune time to investigate a new opportunity, Stan submitted his CV to the HR director that had posted the opening. Within two days, Company A's HR director phoned Stan and invited him to interview for the job.

After traveling 2 hours to meet with both the HR Manager and the actual hiring exec, Stan was given the impression that his background was uniquely suited, and based on references provided, further enhanced by the fact that he and the hiring exec shared mutual acquaintances within the Industry, the hiring exec indicated that he was indeed an impressive candidate. The hiring exec informed Stan that while they were on a fast track to hire someone, they'd contact Stan within the week to update him on the status of the search. In accordance with professional protocol, Stan followed up his meeting(s) two days later with separate thank you notes to both of the execs he met with.

After another week had passed, and Stan had not received an acknowledgment to either of his notes, he did what any sales professional should be expected to do--he phoned the hiring exec to follow up, and after being directed to the hiring managers voice mail, he left a polite message to ensure that his original email had in fact been received. A subliminal yet not so subliminal strategy, but one that most professionals would agree is deserving of a response, especially when the candidate had taken the time to meet with the hiring manager at the managers request.
He also phoned the HR manager, and upon receiving that individuals voice message system, he left a similar message i.e. making sure that his follow up note had been received.

After ten days had transpired, Stan had still not received any acknowledgment from either of the people that he had met with. Lets easily guess that Stan was actually not the candidate of choice, and that Company A had since decided to hire someone else.

That said, Stan, while accepting that he apparently wasn't the top candidate, was less than accepting of the fact that Company A, which prides itself on the integrity of its products/services, had seemingly 'dissed' him by failing to provide a professional follow-up, advising him they had selected another candidate, and to thank him for taking the time to meet.

That's a big oversight on the part of Company A., however many candidates they might have interviewed, especially when considering the senior level job. Stan, having many associates within the Industry, and more than a few of which that are customers of Company A, is an influencer, even if he is also looking for a job. Influencers, especially those with large networks within an otherwise small industry, can influence the perception of the brand amongst peers, as well as those involved in purchasing and partnership opportunities. A

And, as the saying goes, what goes around comes around. A saying that HR managers and hiring execs will be well advised to reflect upon.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Marketing Yourself & How To Get Arrested

For those searching for marketing strategies in challenging times, we tripped over an insightful paperback written by Michael Wallach, a long-time Hollywood talent agent whose book "How To Get Arrested" is actually great and uniquely relevant for anyone that could use a reminder about the basics of marketing.

Yes-its geared towards aspiring actors, but as the prologue underscores, the insight and observations cover topics and tactics that transcend across all boundaries.

Easy reading, very pragmatic, and the type of book that deserves a mention by Oprah!

Friday, November 07, 2008

Company Blogs Learn to Shoot First

This Wednesday's NY Times Business section included an insightful story profiling corporations that do get it, don't get it, or get it wrong when it comes to embracing the power of blogs.

Just more than a year ago, in the Sept 17, 2007 posting on this very blog, we advocated that blogs are/should be/will be an integral part of a corporation's IR, PR, and HR strategies. Lo and behold, we were ahead of our time; and this week's NY Times article focused on how important it is for companies to proactively put their arms around blogs, especially in connection with workforce downsizing. Its all about perception management...and before a disgruntled employee fires salvos at a company on the internet--it doesn't take a rock scientist (not the ones that built quantitative trading models) to understand the importance of being in front of a problem with a well-thought out messaging strategy to cushion the blows of the headwinds that are knocking employees down on their backsides.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

New Age Advertising for the Investment Brokerage Industry



We can all use some uplift...and parody style advertising is about to go from SNL to MSNBC...here's a sneak preview.

and Guys-not sure you want to show this to your wife..

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Point of Presence and Targeted Advertising in times of Economic Reflection

We'll be the first to coin a great new phrase that can be used in connection with the current economic environment..its not a recession, its a period of economic reflection.

With that, we give a hats off to an in-store advertising approach that retailers, consumers and manufacturers are embracing. POP advertising has been evolving for years,and without listing the multitude of in-store strategies that have been used over the years, an enhancement developed by Catalina Marketing is proving to be a solid, next generation approach.

Profiled by David Kesmodel in today's WSJ Media and Markets section-Catalina's latest approach is database driven and personalized. After a shopper makes a purchase at her local supermarket and her store loyalty card is processed, the cashier hands over the paper receipt, along with another slip that includes discount offerings on products that map to the shoppers buying habits and product choices. One major brand manufacturer (Stouffer's) has found this strategy is delivering 10x higher response rates than any other in-store program.

Wow!

Recession? Depression? Lets Call it Reflection.

In the course of Fed Chairman Ben Bernake being barbequed at an appearance before a congressional hearing last week, one US Senator, like many others, demonstrated a complete lack of understanding i.e. economics when challenging Bernake to tell Congress whether he thought the US was in a 'recession', and if not, whether the US was headed towards a recession. In this widely-covered media event, the question was posed in an exasperated tone, as if the state of economy was his fault. Merely illustrating that many elected politicians are merely qualified to cast blame on to others in front of TV cameras.

Ask 100 economists what the definition of recession is, and you'll likely get 101 different answers. The common text book definition is 2 consecutive periods of declining growth in GDP; and lets not even talk about the definition of 'economic depression'.

Ask Joe the Plumber, Dave the Dentist, Harry the Hair Cutter, Bob the Builder, Sam the Salesman, Melanie the Mom, Barbara the Banker, Alan the Accountant, Bill the Bartender, or Patrick the Priest--we're in an economic recession.

The fact that the country's most famous hockey mom (Sarah Palin) is shopping at Neiman Marcus and spending $150,000 for a wardrobe for her and her family might suggest things really aren't so bad--or perhaps its the right approach--shopping for clothes is a patriotic thing to do in economic down times,as it boosts GDP. And $150k, in this environment might be insignificant, but every little bit helps.

How long, how deep and how painful this "recession" becomes is easy to predict--just buy yourself a crystal ball.

That said--Jay Berkman, a savvy marketing guy from Westport, CT's JLC Group suggests that "its all in the presentation", and proposes that we all adopt a new, refreshing phrase--"economic reflection" . Its soft, non-invasive, and touches all of the right positive-thinking buttons. Using this phrase, as opposed to the negative, fear-driven adjectives that marketers too often try to exploit in the course of positioning their products in times of financial stress can encourage consumers, buyers and anyone else reaching for their wallet to contemplate the value proposition of the underlying product.

We agree--and thank Jay for offering up that tag line for free use by any brand marketer, leader, or anyone else that wants to present themselves as a thoughtful, forward looking positioner.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

ROI on Advertising (and Sponsorship)

Click on the title link to a "sortof-kindof" perspective from one media industry professional's take on the concept of ROI...and how he connects the immediate gratification mindset of Wall Street-centric appetite for immediate return to the same(misguided) goals of advertisers and marketers that expect a genie to jump out of the black box of advertising tricks.

I'll be Switzerland on his particular viewpoints--as I'm of the belief that responsible marketing needs to connect the tag line to the bottom line..but I'd concur that any strategy needs to appreciate the concept of 'sales cycle'..and part of the cycle, regardless of the ad strategy, includes a resonation period...and advertising (and sponsorship initiatives) is merely a component that ultimately (not immediately) leads to measurable sales results.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Mistakes Marketers Make-How To Cut Through the Clutter

Today's edition of the WSJ included two columns that encapsulated compelling marketing (and advertising) do's and don'ts, observations that are particularly appropriate when facing heavy "head winds". The type of climate we can expect to be in for the time being.

That said, lets all remember that advertising is merely a component of marketing, and interesting to point out findings in JackMeyer's recent report, "..advertising, as a percentage of marketing budgets, continues to wane; and advertising spends are necessarily being directed to platforms that are otherwise uncluttered, with content that's creatively captivating..."

Advertising insight courtesy of Sridhar Balasubramanian and Pradeep Bhardwau from UNC's Business School:

1. Target customers at times when they're unoccupied. (This underscores the reasons why airport-centric venues (especially in-plane)offer a nice vehicle.

2. Tease, don't tell. The logic here is that brain can only process so much information, and when it comes to an ad, too much of anything is no good. Make the message intriguing, so that it drives the eyeball to a destination that can sell.

3. Cross Promote. By aligning your brand with another complementary brand, you introduce a much coveted goal-third party endorsement/integrity. That said, make sure you're aligning with a brand that has integrity.

4. Integrate your ad within a frequently used application. A great example of this approach is a software application that we highlighted two years ago-created by our friend Evan Richmond, a fellow that's always been ahead of his time and whose approach to capturing eyeballs is now under the umbrella of Think360 whose

Marketing Do's and Don'ts; Contrary to Conventional Wisdom..
(Courtesy of David Corkin at South Australia's International Graduate School of Business)

1. Broaden The Brand..as opposed to conventional 'wisdom' of zeroing in on the perceived demographic target

2. Loyal customers aren't really so royal. Loyalty is nice, but research suggests, its over-rated. Especially when it comes to commoditized products. And what isn't commoditized these days?

3. Increasing sales is achieved by increasing the customer base. That brings us back to broadening the brand. The conventional and incorrect wisdom according to Corkin, is to emphasize increasing loyalty of existing customers and trying to increase their purchasing of the product/service.

4. Promotions are great--if the goal is to sell your product at a discounted price (and earn less profit margin) to existing customers. Otherwise, this strategy rarely captures new, long-lasting customers.

5. The 4 P's (product, price, place and promotion)-a topic that our generation of MBA's will rattle off in a presentation (including job interviews) overlooks a more fundamental focus--we keep saying it--Its all about The Brand...Creating positive associations in the mindset of the audience. That requires creative thinking.

6. Marketing is about hunting and capturing. Wrong-sales is about hunting and capturing--marketing is about making sure your message/image is inserted in locations that your audience is actively visiting.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

NY Times /CBS News Poll: McCain Negative Advertising Backfires

For those that noticed this past Sunday's posting at this very blog(immediately below), it would seem that my middle-aged, middle of the road opining is shared by more than a few..(I was not polled by NY Times/CBS News prior to today's release of their findings..)

"..The poll found that more voters see Mr. McCain as waging a negative campaign than Mr. Obama. Six in 10 voters surveyed said that Mr. McCain had spent more time attacking Mr. Obama than explaining what he would do as president; by about the same number, voters said Mr. Obama was spending more of his time explaining than attacking...The top reasons cited by those who said they thought less of Mr. McCain were his recent attacks"

Duh... And for those that want to put blame on the advertising/marketing geniuses that craft McCain's strategies..keep in mind, they all come with the statement "I'm John McCain, and I approved this message.." Yikes.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Marketing Communications: What is McCain thinking??

Its always fascinating to observe political campaign "messaging" strategies, as they're really nothing more than marketing/advertising campaigns on steroids.

They're a composite of what the most aggressive brand marketing campaigns encompass, leveraging every type of guerilla marketing application, every type of media outlet,and are wrapped with every type of PR and awareness tactic under the sun.

The common wisdom of brand marketing and positioning is that a truly successful marketing campaign is supposed to stick to a consistent theme of messages and clear value propositions throughout the course of the campaign: that's what we call Brand Integrity 101. If you switch messages, you confuse consumers--and consumers don't like to be confused.

One would think this would be the most obvious tactic when it comes to a political campaign. However, much to our chagrin--and especially during times of great crisis and uncertainty, the rules of engagement for those selling a political product are completely contradictory to those espoused by accomplished brand marketing experts.

Yes...many of those reading this will say "Duh-tell me something we don't know.."
But for those that depend on Harvard MBA's or other 'case study' experts, the case in point that should be a What Not To Do when promoting a product is the marketing campaign behind attempts to sell the John McCain and Sarah Palin product.

1. Negative Advertising. Pounding a competing product is actually not a bad tactic at the appropriate time--as long as the pounding is credible. And, Bill Clinton said that politics is a contact sport; implying that the rules change after each play.

That said, numerous federal agencies that govern product marketing have very clear rules prohibiting fraudulent and/or deceptive advertising. False claims about competing products are considered libelous, and those messages found to be fraudulent can result in criminal prosecution.

Most recent accusations made by McCain & Co.'s advertising team--including direct statements made by his anointed running mate with regard to Senator Obama's purported 'terrorist' links are not only completely unsubstantiated, but if those statements were regulated by a federal or state agency, they would easily be considered deceptive, if not fraudulent.

..Obviously, political campaign statements aren't regulated by any government agency (way too complicated), but any reasonably well-trained marketing student would clearly know that when a manufacurer is found to be delivering a false claim, the consumer backlash to negative advertising can sink a brand in a matter of days. The result? The product collects dust on the shelf-then its sent back to the manufacturer, who disposes of it in a junk pile-or ships it to an overseas country at a discounted price.

Changing the packaging. If one package type or size doesn't sell, manufacturers try to adjust quickly and re-package, but they typically use the same ingredients.

In this case, the republican presidential campaign is not only re-packaging on an hourly basis, they keep changing the ingredients, which is destroying an already aging Grand Old Party brand that once prided itself on a relatively unchanging set of ingredients. Yes, these are historic times, and we're facing challenges that are unprecedented, and 'change' is the recipe that we need, but changing ingredients based on every tick in stock futures is merely causing consumer confidence in the underlying product to disintegrate faster than the value of our retirement investments.

Crisp, clear, concise and CONSISTENT messages are the basic elements to promoting any product, a tactic that even Mr. McCain's wife will acknowledge, as Budweiser succeeded in that strategy for three generations.

And if consumers are finding they no longer like the taste, manufacturers spend lots of time and thought on researching what will work-they don't roll out a new product change every 3 hours. Even in the most volatile of times.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Crisis Management : Overcoming Fear & Panic

If Vladimir Putin had his way, he'd probably pull the plug on CNBC in an effort to stop the media from making a really bad financial situation worse. He'd certainly pull the plug on the program trading software that many believe drives the price of stocks like a drunken driver.

Inasmuch as too many of us, instead of focusing on being productive, are probably sitting in front of TV screens watching the financial market meltdown, like a deer staring into the headlights, and busy calculating the mounting losses to our businesses, and more importantly--the damage to our life savings, the fact is that no single person (not even Hank Paulson or John McCain) can change the course of events that are unfolding.

However, and barring the world coming to an end--which I don't believe is a likely outcome, this is a rare opportunity for leaders and entrepreneurs to position themselves and to focus not on what they're losing, but on how to be proactive, positive and innovative. According to my very wise father, who is now trading above 83, and a fellow that has lived through 7 decades of financial market ups and downs from his catbird seat on the floor of major stock exchanges, "Its always darkest before the dawn."

Perhaps not an original statement, but one that should resonate with marketers, brand managers, and business operators. This is the time to initiate strategies that capture the confidence of employees, partners, clients and customers. This is the time for entrepreneurs to focus on products/services and technologies that deliver cost savings and more efficient business processes. This is the time for branding, PR, and investor relations messages that inspire and provide assurance and credibility. This is the time for coopetition, and crisp, clear, concise and believable messages.

This is the time to position yourself as a confident leader--with that, you'll be protecting the morale of your most valuable sales people--which includes everyone that works in your company--and your most valued customers. An expert on that topic is LeadershipIQ's Mark Murphy; his guidance and counsel has proven invaluable to companies of all sizes, including Fortune 50's.

There are hundreds of innovators and smart solution providers--a handful are profiled at JLC Group's website--and finding the solutions--whether its objective analysis, creative sales approaches, or efficient technologies merely requires solid research and thoughtful and comprehensive evaluation.

Sure, we're all going to be adjusting, tightening belts, and re-evaluating what we consume and how we consume it. But as economic fear permeates throughout our homes and workplaces, perhaps like few other times in our modern history, save for the 1930's, my Dad has also always said, "This too shall pass..". And he's got an amazing track record for being right.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Marketing Messages in Times of Mayhem; Perception Management 101

Are we in "unheralded times"? For many, the answer is yes. But for those of us that have been around for more than 15 minutes, or for those that have studied the history of financial markets, we've seen plenty of individual companies, industries, and even economies experience periods of crisis and mayhem.

Bubbles burst, and business cycle "crashes" can swallow the best of companies that fail to quickly respond with proactive messages that reassure customers, clients, partners and employees.

With regard to corporate messages from financial service companies, this is obviously one of the most critical times in history--as the value and competitive position of just about every financial service enterprise is based on good will, credibility and confidence.

Corporate Image, otherwise a "soft asset" is the lifeblood of banks, brokers, lenders, and just about any business that serves a financial service-related entity...and the credibility of these institutions is the foundation to any free enterprise system.

And those that fail to take proactive steps to address the current 'crisis' by not quickly and effectively re-engineering their corporate messaging strategies, from PR to investor relations to advertising campaigns, will find themselves watching their customers run for the hills to havens that are perceived to be safer and more reliable.

Gary Stibel of New England Consulting Group in Westport, CT--an advisory firm that is now expanding its suite of services to include financial crisis management, summed it up nicely in a comment that appeared in today's NY Times: "This is NOT the time for keeping to the course.."

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Telepresence for Talking Heads: DeskTop Video Broadcasting, Video Conferencing and Even Pay-Per-View Apps: The New Trend in New Media


In 2001, while overseeing marketing and communications for a boutique brokerage specializing in junk bonds, I joined hands with a technology vendor to introduce a live video/webcam platform that broadcasted the firm's trading desk to clients of the firm. We thought it took the phrase "transparency in trading markets" to a completely new level--as it provided live video streaming so that customers could see and hear the action.

We were ahead of our time, and even if the rest of Wall Street remained reticent when it came to transparency, video conferencing and streaming applications, (the majority of which were actually developed by technology gurus from within the adult entertainment sector), has, over the past 8 years, evolved to the point where the catch phrase "telepresence" is perhaps the fastest growing telecommunications application.

Video conferencing platforms introduced 7-8 years ago and affordable only to those with $700,000 or more to spend, have evolved; plug and play desktop applications that deliver interactive, TV quality video and audio are the hottest thing since rye bread--as evidenced not only by Cisco's recently announced initiative to "mash" recently acquired video streaming technology with its WebEx product as a means of providing a full suite of next-gen 'telepresence' apps (by combining presentation, interactive voice and video, etc)--but this trend is hotter than fire when looking at the growing number of smaller technology companies that are delivering plug n play and highly affordable (think $399 a month) platforms that can transform the way in which corporate communication and HR execs, marketers, pundits, telecommunicating talking heads, and Bob The Bloggers communicate with their respective captive audiences.

Cisco's system, which is down from $700k+ and now comes in at about $300,000(including furniture for your own corporate broadcast 'studio') is well out of reach for most pocketbooks, especially the mass audience that wants to broadcast from their corporate or home office. The latter group has, for the past few years, been lukewarm, but receptive to using the nascent market for 'walk-in' videoconferencing "studios" that provide turnkey internet and interactive video broadcasting services at a cost of about $1000/hr.

But for those that have watched their retirement accounts with AIG stock implode, and have pared their business budgets to the bone, if you don't have the time/energy to research platforms that are truly affordable, amazingly robust in terms of broadcast quality, feature rich (interactive, multiple windows, a pay-per-view and billing module, the ability to insert advertiser messages, can be operated by monkeys, and can pay for themselves in one single broadcast--we tripped over a solution.

No coincidence that its been developed by the same technology vendor that made the first stride in enhancing the transparency of the firm I worked for 8 years ago.

The provider is Montreal-based LCN Technologies--and having worked with this outfit for years and watching from afar as they've introduced true technology innovation, this is the first place that I'd recommend for anyone that is considering getting on board the new media train that 'gets it' when it comes to ways that can bring you, your content, and your message to your captive audience.

The fact that this platform includes a billing module--allowing broadcasters to charge on a pay-per-view basis is particularly compelling to a wide range of professions and practices..If you don't want to charge your audience for viewing (or downloading archived programs), that's fine--the module includes the ability to insert sponsor and advertiser displays around the frame of the screen, or in marquee scrolling format...

Now you can effectively operate your own "iTV" platform for a few hundred bucks a month..the only hardware you need is a videocam..good ones cost less than a hundred bucks, really good ones cost no more than $300-$400..Want to transform your blogging platform? Bored with static WebEx features?..Want real interactivity with your audience? Now, you too can be just like the talking heads on CNBC, Fox, but better-because these new apps are interactive--think video telephone with a 19 in screen and no latency--or you can simply introduce a corporate communication network that can save tens of thousands of dollars every month when considering your cost of travel, including off-sites that don't really require every being in the same room, etc.

Aside from LCN, we tripped over Telanetix--they've positioned their $30,000 "video conferencing" platform to be a competitor to the Cisco-type $300k platforms--but again, we think that LCN's "turnkey" offering (vs their month to month lease), which provides a one-time license to their system is winning solution, and according to the vendor, you can have the life-time license for as little as $7000. For $300/mo (give or take), they'll host, stream, administer viewer registrations, billing modules, archive and maintain a swath of viewer metrics, and provide 24/7 technical support.. Don't be afraid if you see my face and hear my voice appearing on your desktop!!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Corporate Sponsorship & Academia: Drawing the Line?

Is a corporate-sponsored marketing course an academic service, or a self-serving one? asks Rob Walker in his well-written New York Times Sunday Magazine piece that profiles a controversy ignited by of all groups, a non-profit trade association that sponsored an academic course at New York's Hunter College and several other universities across the country..

If you don't get the Sunday NY Times Magazine--here's the upshot..I.A.C.C., the IntL. Anti-counterfeiting Coalition, whose members include leading brand manufacturers, underwrote a course at Hunter (and 7 other campuses) that was intended to enlist the resources (and peer relationships) of those participating in the class, to instill the doctrine of Knocking Off is Bad.

The course work, which includes teams of students creating an assortment of very innovative digital and print ads, and compelling experiential marketing campaigns that are now being leveraged by I.A.C.C., has evoked post traumatic stress with some academics, specifically those that believe a line in the sand needs to be drawn prohibiting corporates, trade groups, non-profits, and anyone else that has an agenda from imposing their mantras when sponsoring educational curriculum.

Yes, some are all-consumed by the notion Big Brand Brother is getting his hooks into the crannies of our young, and oh-so-easily influenced college students and exploiting their intellect.

For those that agree that corporate sponsorship of colleges should have strict black and white rules and 14 ft Chinese walls that separate church from state and college students from their prospective corporate hiring managers, you're invited to submit a comment and share your thoughts!

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Marketing To Moms : Can You Spell Blog?

For those in the marketing/communications profession, most are familiar with MarketingSherpa, but if you're not, its worth your time to get on the newsletter subscription list (its free), as odds are high that you'll encounter an article that makes good sense, and very possibly, a fistful of dollars.

The link in title to this posting is the first in a series of articles from MarketingSherpa i.e. "how to market to the mommy market" is very solid, and includes links to a variety of high traffic blogs that have become frequent destinations for the new generation of gals with kids in tow.

Using Comic Book Format To Introduce Innovative Ideas: Google Case Study

For those that might have seen a posting made here almost a year ago, you'll appreciate that we presciently pontificated on the increasing use of comic book-style strategies within corporate publications, main-stream marketing and advertising collateral, and as Google has done courtesy of famed comic book king Scott McCloud, within new product launch announcements.

As observed by leadership guru Mark Murphy, founder of LeadershipIQ, "...the need to address the needs and tastes of Gen Y, a group that is dominating the new work force and represents the most sought after consumer demographic cannot be underestimated.." What Murphy is saying is that we need to speak the language of what is becoming our largest audience, and to deliver messages in a way that inspires, influences and win their votes.

Comic book format messaging became widespread in Japan several years ago, and the 'style' has been successively and successfully embraced by Fortune brands in the course of executing a wide spectrum of marketing and awareness initiatives.

Whether Google's Chrome browser supercedes Microsoft IE, or Firefox (a browser that we have aggressively recommended to corporate and educational industry clients soon after it was introduced)is only something that time can determine. Switching browsers is relatively easy and painless, switching mindsets is something else. Especially when many are hyper-sensitive when it comes to privacy; Chrome will undoubtedly come equipped with imbedded tracking applications that can be used to further enhance Google's Adwords platform and deliver ever-more focused demographic zoning features.

Monday, July 28, 2008

The New Investor Relations Buzz Word: Swirl

Hats off to Yahoo!'s Susan Decker for introducing a new phrase to the investor relations world...
In the first sentence of prepared remarks made on a recent investor conference call, Ms. Decker said "...Notwithstanding a more difficult economic environment, and substantial external swirl related to Microsoft.."

Ah...in this context, Swirl means "distracting jibber jabber"... and presumably, her speech writer can be credited with introducing a new synonym for "spin". Although 'swirl' also conjures up the image of a cyclone...and I don't know that Susan intended to suggest that Microsoft has created a powerful storm

My local Carvel has a great swirl, comprised of fat-free coffee and raspberry...its great with low-cal cookie crunchies and a perfect soother when encountering head winds.

But when it comes to investor relations phrases, I'm going to stick with "jibber jabber"..although this phrase might not be easily translated from English to other languages.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Marcomm 301: Loose Lips Sink Ships

Great insight on the new age of marketing communications courtesy of MarketingProfs.com:

If you're working on a deal that hadn't been made public, the last thing you'll do is announce it to your friends on Twitter. And yet, warns Rohit Bhargava in a post at the Influential Marketing Blog, savvy online observers could use a variety of tidbits to gather information you never meant to share. Here's his hypothetical scenario:

* You tweet about a business trip to the West Coast with a friend who is known to be a lawyer.
* She updates her Facebook profile, mentioning a client meeting in Redmond, Washington.
* Media outlets quote a Microsoft executive about being in discussions with companies in your field.
* A Microsoft engineer blogs about a new company in your town.

"In four small updates from unrelated people," says Bhargava, "a smart social media surfer could get a very direct sense of a deal about to happen and some inside information [you didn't intend to share]." To combat online "spying," he recommends the following:

* Educate employees on the potential ramifications of sharing information online.
* Teach selective friending.
* Monitor comments made from within your company to head off inadvertent "leaks" before they become major problems.

Says Bhargava, "It is only a matter of time before Social Media Espionage becomes a concern that some businesses will need to have a preemptive strategy to fight against." Your Marketing Inspiration is to be prepared.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Protecting The Corporate Brand: What To Do About Online Attacks

A bit dated, but this WSJ article can prove to be timeless in an age where aggravated customers can vent their frustrations to the world by simply pressing "submit comment"

Internet has drastically increased the potential damage to a brand or a company's reputation. Frustrations with a company's practices, products and service that once were confined to relatively small circles now reach complete strangers around the world. With a very low cost of entry, disgruntled customers, workers and former workers are free to post messages, create Web sites and blog about grievances. Advocacy and special-interest groups use their Web sites to stage attacks on companies and rally support for their positions. And all of it is often archived, searchable and printable.

The potential harm from such attacks should not be underestimated. They can damage a company's reputation, hurt sales and scare off potential -- and current -- employees. Investors may flee, and partnerships may be put at risk.

1.Companies need to monitor the Web for criticism and be able to move quickly on matters that could hurt their reputation or brands. Such monitoring should cover not only corporate, professional and industry Web sites, but also grass-roots sites, such as blogs and bulletin boards.

2.Companies should examine their current practices in dealing with grievances, gripes and concerns. Researchers have consistently found that the manner in which a company attempts to remedy a complaint and how the company interacts with dissatisfied stakeholders can either temper or exacerbate the conflict -- even when the company can't provide the outcome the stakeholder desires.

As a result, companies should limit heavy-handed responses such as threats of legal action to areas in which protective measures are more justifiable -- such as preventing financial disclosures, or discussions about strategic and proprietary information. They should also develop clear employee guidelines for when -- and when not -- to blog, post messages or generate other Web content.
3. At the most successful companies, dedication to fair processes percolated through all levels of the organization. Companies should train managers to understand the risks that attacks can pose to the brand -- and to appreciate the dangers that unfair treatment can pose.
4.Once a brand-damaging attack appears, companies should try to address it directly, and quickly, going directly to the site where the criticism originated. They should also drive the discussion in a way that displays the company's dedication to fairness and tries to restore a sense of justice for those involved.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Branding in Bad Times..and the Best of Times

With the nations consumers facing this generation's most challenging economic hurdles (although one or two of hedge fund friends believe this is a great buying opportunity) this is a good time to reflect on the importance of brand.

Brand isn't just a logo or a tagline. Duh. But way too many companies of all sizes neglect to appreciate that the brand image is what keeps the blood flowing. Brand value in the corporate financial sense is defined as a combination confidence, integrity, reliability, and satisfaction.

Confidence in doing business with you. This includes members of the senior management, vendors, distributors, employees, (for many, this also includes regulators), and of course customers, consumers and clients.

Integrity in the manner by which you conduct your business, including the manner by which you manufacture goods.

Reliability in good times and bad. You can be counted on to share the burden, and the wealth.

Satisfaction provided by the receiver in the delivery of your product/service.

Keeping the brand intact, regardless of which way the wind blows, comes from within.
Courtesy of Jay Berkman at The JLC Group

Monday, July 07, 2008

Corporate Sponsors Singing a New Tune


Courtesy of the NY Times reporter Robert Levine:

It’s American Brandstand: Marketers Underwrite Performers
By ROBERT LEVINE

The hip-hop and R&B producer Jermaine Dupri has discovered best-selling acts like Kris Kross and Da Brat, has produced hits for Mariah Carey and Jay-Z, and now runs the urban music division of the Island Def Jam Music Group. He’s also looking for fresh talent for a new label financed by a company new to the music industry.

The new player? Procter & Gamble.

The consumer goods giant is part of a wave of companies getting into the music business to promote their own products, essentially becoming record labels themselves.
At a time when online file-sharing is rampant, record stores are closing and consumers are buying singles instead of albums, getting into the music business might seem like running into a burning building. But as record labels struggle to adjust to a harsh new digital reality, other companies are stepping up their involvement in music, going far beyond standard endorsement contracts and the use of songs in commercials.

These companies — like Procter & Gamble, Red Bull and Nike — are stepping outside of their core businesses to promote, finance and even distribute music themselves.

A few months ago, Bacardi announced that it would help the English electronic music duo Groove Armada pay for and promote its next release. Caress, the body-care line owned by Unilever, commissioned the Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger to record a version of Duran Duran’s “Rio” that it gave away on its Web site to promote its “Brazilian body wash” product. The energy drink company Red Bull is starting a label that is expected to release music before the end of the year.

It’s not about money,” said Sarah Tinsley, a global marketing manager at Bacardi. “It’s a branding exercise.”
Although consumer brands are taking on roles once reserved for labels, they are investing so much money in music because the same digital technology that whipsawed the music business is also making it harder to reach consumers.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Press Release Writing 101: Sex, Green, Secret

Refreshing article courtesy of NY Times reporter Joanne Kaufman...Here's an excerpt, with tips that might bring a press release into the press:


The original pitch landed in the inbox with a whiff of medical authenticity overlaid with a snicker-inducing headline: “Toxic Ties to ‘New Shower Curtain Smell’ Evident, According to Latest Laboratory Testing.”

There was a news conference, this release said, at New York University Medical Center. It was led by a doctor representing an obscure if official-sounding group that few people have heard of, the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. There were revelations about how shower curtains that are “routinely sold at multiple retail outlets” and can “release as many as 108 volatile chemicals into the air.”

Thus, the Toxic Shower Curtain Story was born.

ABCNews.com picked up on it, only to debunk it. With varying amounts of credulousness, other outlets ran with it as well, including U.S. News & World Report, The Daily News in New York, MSNBC.com and The Los Angeles Times. The gist of some of the coverage was that it was all a tempest in a bathtub, though other reports took the information at face value.

How do stories of this ilk get such bounce from major news organizations?

Those who make their living composing news releases say there is an art to this easily dismissed craft. Strategic word selection can catapult an announcement about a study, a product or a “breakthrough” onto the evening news instead of to its usual destination — the spam folder or circular file.

“P.R. people want to invest time in things that are going to get picked up, so they try to put something to the ‘who cares?’ and ‘so what?’ test,” said Kate Robins, a longtime public relations consultant. “If you say something is first, most, fastest, tallest — that’s likely to get attention. If you can use the words like ‘money,’ ‘fat,’ ‘cancer’ or ‘sex,’ you’re likely to get some ink in the general audience media.”

David Seaman, a P.R. stunt planner and the author of a book to be published in October, “Dirty Little Secrets of Buzz,” is a proponent of “safe,” “easy” “secret,” “trick” and “breaking” because they suggest that something is new and fresh, he said.



“Anytime you have ‘toxic’ next to an item everyone has in their house and has always been assumed to be the last thing that would harm them, you can be sure it will get picked up on the news, and the Web will spread it like wildfire,” said Allen P. Adamson, managing director of Landor, a corporate branding firm, and the author of “BrandSimple.”

The words that attract media attention change with the times. “Anything that speaks to long-term health risks is good these days, because there is a belief that there’s a lot of stuff out there harming us, from the cellphone on down,” Mr. Adamson said.

David B. Armon, the president of PR Newswire, a distribution service for public relations professionals, likens writing a news release to writing a headline for the front page of a newspaper: every word has to do heavy lifting.

“It’s a lot more scientific than it used to be,” Mr. Armon said, “because you’re not just trying to get media pickup, but to get search engine attention.”


“Green” and “environment” are huge right now, he said, as is “foreclosure.” “We’ve done 412 press releases that incorporate that word so far in ’08, up from 261 last year.” For the record, Mr. Armon added, the use of the word “toxic” in news releases is up 5 percent.

The words that may help get a news release picked up vary from region to region. Brenda Baumgartner, the news director and anchor at KPVI, the NBC affiliate in Pocatello, Idaho, for example, looks for words like “fishing,” “hunting,” “Mormon” and “polygamy,” she said, “because they fit the culture we live around.”

Words that help elevate a news release also vary from industry to industry. For instance, Tom Gable, the head of a San Diego public relations firm, said a news release about video games could benefit from a phrase like “faster graphics.” When talking about technology, he said, it would be “ ‘cost breakthrough,’ like the $200 computer.”

In the entertainment industry, on the other hand, the most basic of nouns will do — baby, breakup, marriage, divorce — according to Cindi Berger, co-chief executive of the public relations firm PMK/HBH. “Now attach names like Madonna or Jessica Simpson,” Ms. Berger said, “and of course the assignment editor is going to pay attention.”

Perhaps because many people in public relations are former journalists, they know what grates on the Fourth Estate. Mr. Gable, who was once the business editor of The San Diego Union, has compiled a list of words that will do a news release no good whatsoever, like “solutions,” “leading edge,” “cutting edge,” “state of the art,” “mission critical,” and “turnkey.”

Mr. Gable said that his company once did a weeklong survey of the releases that came out of PR Newswire and Business Wire, a commercial news distribution service, “and most of the releases identified their company as ‘a leader’ and described their research as ‘cutting edge.’”

“They were empty, unsubstantiated and had no news value,” he said.

Ken Sunshine, the head of a P.R. firm in Manhattan, said he thought the media had an institutional bias against “hype-y terms” like “world renowned” and “once in a lifetime,” which he studiously avoids putting in his news releases. “But ‘unique’ is fine,” he said, “if something really is unique.”

Ultimately, perhaps, the whole thing is less about terms than timing.

“Was it really the issue of toxic shower curtains that fired up assignment editors?” asked Mr. Armon of PR Newswire. “Or was it just a slow news day?”

Monday, June 09, 2008

Viral Marketing Hall of Fame 2008: Top 10 Campaigns & Results Data

Great summary of top strategies executed by big and small brands, courtesy of MarketingSherpa.

The overriding theme:
-> Rise of social media
Most of this year’s candidates sent videos to YouTube, created Facebook pages or organized communities on MySpace -- or all of the above. These sites are free to use and add seemingly unlimited viral potential to any campaign. That means free additional exposure from powerful peer-to-peer networks. Marketers are hearing the social media message loud and clear.

-> Peer-to-peer sharing is critical
There were two distinct groups in this year’s entries: fantastically thought-out campaigns and wacky content. Either way, success hinged on peer-to-peer sharing. As our winners illustrate, both strategies can work if enough effort is put into the right places.

Clever marketers created funny videos or text documents, posted them to a few social media sites and people shared like mad -- ka-boom! Other marketers left less at risk. They created contests, microsites, full-assault ad campaigns and got on every Web 2.0 medium reachable.

-> All hail mighty content
You’ve heard the adage -- we’re not even going to say it -- but all it took for some campaigns to go wildly viral was great content. Not every content-based entry made it to Sherpa’s winners’ circle, but there were enough to denote a trend. Most of the content being passed around was funny or sarcastic -- even if it was a bit risky for PR. But being truly funny requires risks. Some of these marketers went out on a limb to grab the ripest fruit.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Advertising 101- Don't Waste The Space

A full page ad promoting a Dow Jones service in today's WSJ reinforces my table pounding that someone needs to proofread advertising copy before spending mid-six figures on placing ads into the real world.

The entire text reads : "Make customers stick like glue." The first 'message' that my eyeballs transmitted to my brain was "Make customers sick..like glue." This was after my first cup of coffee, so perhaps my brain wasn't processing at the right setting. Then I looked at the ad again...same thing...I kept associating the ad with 'make customers sick'.... To the extent that it captured my attention, the strategy worked. But the ad failed, simply because it delivered a negative context and completely turned me off to what the actual service being promoted was.

OK, lots of ads out there, and many are carelessly thought out. At the top of the careless advertising list was a recent highway billboard campaign executed by Bloomberg LP's radio division. Placed smack dab on the busiest roadway in the heart of hedge fund country (Fairfield County, Connecticut), the billboard ad displayed an innocuous message "Check Your Pounds"...and a Bloomberg LP logo below. No radio station call signal displayed, no display of the company's cable television channel #--absolutely nothing in the ad that would drive the viewer to tune his/her car radio to the Bloomberg station. Bizarre.

When I called up the head of advertising buying at Bloomberg in connection with another topic, and pointed out what I thought was a surprisingly poor marketing strategy, he thanked me profusely for making the observation, and he said that it wasn't his decision in the first place t0 run or administer the billboard campaign. That billboard ad stayed in place for another 8 weeks and then it was replaced with an ad that displayed the radio call signal.