April 2010

Listen2The Music

Music Moves People.

It’s especially true in your advertising. Too often businesses or organizations just add music – almost as an afterthought – to their commercial messages. Whether your announcement needs “background” music or you are using the lyric as the hook…give original music a closer examination. Here is an example of a familiar commercial that uses music to effectively drive the message. It runs on network television, but your locally produced campaign needs to sound just as good to get the consumer’s attention.

www.youtube.com/b2ctelevision - click on the “Travelers” commercial to see (and hear) for yourself.

Lesson4Us

Some commercials cut through the clutter better than others. You hear the first few notes and immediately recognize the advertiser. That impact comes from creative messaging, strategic placement and a consistent presence. If your advertising is missing or going in “fits and starts” in any one of these areas, it might be time for a fresh approach.

March 2010

Tough2Do

Sometimes it’s easier to know the right thing to do than to actually do it.

For years I have explained to clients that it isn’t necessary to put all their information and statistics in a commercial or have the staff standing in front of the business waving --- in order to get viewers to notice them. Everyone knows consumers are assaulted by more images than ever before - the true challenge is to find a way to cut through. As a marketer, your competition isn’t the guy down the street so much as it is the commercial message right before and right after you.

One of my newer clients – Robert Kulp of Blue Ridge Residential and Black Dog Salvage – made a break from the normal commercial and focused on communicating his message directly to his audience. Just like you won’t see a location listing at the end of a UPS commercial or after that “Five Dollar Footlong” jingle, you’ll notice the simplicity of this message. Click on this link and see how Robert had the courage to break away from local commercials done the way they typically are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y88pxl8YtSk

Lesson4Us

Here is a gentle reminder – to get a bigger impact you may have to take a new approach. Communicate more with less clutter.

February 2010

Drawn2It

Splinter audiences, narrowcasting, multiple channels, niche marketing…these are all relatively new terms used to describe the extreme targeting of smaller, more interested audiences. Useful tools in getting your message to a carved out segment of the audience. As the ability to drill down into your focused target has emerged, so has another trend.

The return of the Big Ticket Event.

It seems that while people like their own iPod playlists and their personal favorites, there is still a longing for community. Nothing brings a group together like a shared viewing experience. Nothing. “Say, did you see Avatar?” “That was some game last night!” “How did you like that acceptance speech during the awards show on Sunday?” According to recent articles in the New York Times and The Economist, the big audience events are as popular as ever – if not more so.

People still love to gather, watch and then discuss and they like doing it in community.

Lesson4Us

Too many business owners think they can’t afford to achieve “REACH” in their schedules so they settle for “FREQUENCY”. Instead of stepping out and targeting that Big Ticket Event, they place hundreds of small, inexpensive commercials in places they think they can afford.

Recently I found a way to work some of my clients into things like American Idol, ABC Prime Time, The Olympics and other big events. To learn how this concept can work for your business simply email me a reply to this or call me at 540.986.8766 or 419.377.0643. If you’d rather be taken off this newsletter list, you can use the same contact methods. A combination of frequency AND reach is especially powerful.

January 2010

Time2Change

Many of you know before I started this company my main responsibility was to recruit, build and develop sales talent at the advertising departments of television stations. In five places throughout the last twenty plus years, I have seen the elements that create a culture in an organization and the steps needed to implement change to that environment.

Every organization has a culture.

The common theme I encountered at each station was a fallback statement you’ve likely heard at your company or organization – maybe even recently. How often when you ask a question about why someone does something in a certain way do you hear, “well…that’s the way we’ve always done it”? Usually it’s just the default answer – but that statement should force a simple question from you.

“Why? Why are we doing it this way?”

 Lesson4Us

Doing things the same way because, “it’s the way we’ve always done it” is not a good answer for you or your people. Demand real evaluation of processes and follow up. Seek better ways to achieve your goals and be sure you’re pushing your company beyond where you’ve been. This is the perfect time to evaluate how you have been advertising and marketing yourselves. There are plenty of options and new ways to connect with your customers, clients and prospects.

December 2009

Back2School

Last week I was chosen to participate as a judge at a Roanoke College advanced level business policy class. The fall semester student project was to plan, develop and introduce a new business. Hundreds of work hours went into the building of rationale, process, and the overflowing binders distributed with their presentations. The team I judged was opening a nightclub in State College, Pennsylvania. It was clear they had thought creatively, comprehensively and worked as a team. It was impressive.

As judges, we had the opportunity to ask questions as we evaluated their plans for the club. Never being one to shy away from stretching young minds -- I focused several questions on the issue of thinking ahead. How would the team handle something bad happening at their establishment – not an unreasonable thought when you consider the elements involved in such an endeavor? All their thought and hard work had somehow failed to consider the impact of a crisis and the ramifications of being unprepared to communicate clearly and calmly in the wake of such an event. Clearly, such planning wasn’t on their radar – at all.

Lesson4Us

What about you and your organization? Are you ready for the unexpected? Perhaps you don’t have the exposure of a bar/nightclub, but crisis plays no favorites and comes in all sizes and scopes. A timely and well thought out response is the best defense. Build out some actions steps for potential problem areas with your business and get your leadership communicating about how you can work together.