Canadian Marketing Blog

It's the small things that count.

I love my weekends. Not because I go anywhere exciting necessarily. Not because I do anything especially exciting. I love my weekends because I get to engage with the brands I love. Yes, I said, “the brands I love”. Sure, there were people I love around too. But for the purposes of this blog, I'm talking about the brands I love because it is during those small relaxed moments, say, on a weekend, when we allow a brand into the tiny crevices of our lives, that a brand becomes indispensable. It’s where a habit forms. It’s where loyalty jells. It’s where brands must live to survive. Let me explain.

I wake up in the morning on the weekends and put my two Labrador Retrievers in the back of my Subaru Outback. I love the Subaru Outback because the rear compartment is large enough for my two large dogs, because it’s great on gas, and most of all because it saved my wife’s life one time when she was T-boned on the 401.

Once in my Outback (the second consecutive one I’ve owned), we travel to my local Second Cup where they still make an Americano with a real espresso machine rather than with the push of a button on an automated contraption like that other coffee seller does. I walk out with my mocha-coloured Second Cup branded coffee cup and proceed to the park.

Later in the day, my son and I run some errands, including a stop at my local Shoppers Drug Mart where I purchase Old Spice body wash -- the same brand as the aftershave my Dad used when I was a kid. I marvel at how they’ve managed to re-energize a brand that I’ve known since my childhood, by redesigning their logo and extending their product line beyond that old aftershave. I also tell my son how the t.v. spot for that old aftershave starred the father of the guy who played Chandler Bing on “Friends”. My son smiles at me, humouring me for my pathetic grasp of insignificant trivia – but that’s another story.

I offer my Shopper’s Optimum card so I earn points toward discounts on future purchases and pay with my bank’s debit card. I’ve had it since I got married and opened a joint account there with my wife. When we bought our house, we got our mortgage from the same bank. When my identity was stolen recently, the Bank knew before I did. I’ll be with them forever.

Later, I check my email on my Apple iBook G4 laptop while listening to my iPod. I’ve loved Apple since I first started writing professionally -- back when their latest product line included the Mac Classic II. Today, other computer brands (HP comes to mind) have cornered the consumer computer market in a way Apple never could. But that irrational love of an inanimate object continues.

Anyway, I could go on forever. But you get the point. We interact with brands we love every minute of the day. Often, they contribute to the small pleasures in life. We continue to engage with those brands because they continue to live up to our expectations. As long as they do, we’re happy to welcome them into our lives.

It’s not about loyalty programs, or even points or cards. It’s about the brand’s relevance to our lives. It’s about how we identify with the brand and whether or not it can continue to be trusted. And that’s why, at the end of the day, you can’t buy loyalty. You can only hope to earn it over time.

Word of Mouth Marketing Conference Panel Discussion

If you are interested in hearing what you missed at the "From Mass to Grass" Word of Mouth Marketing Conference held in Toronto a couple of weeks ago, I have just posted Episode 16 of The Client Side podcast that captured the panel discussion around "How to Market in Social Media and Virtual Worlds".

I helped moderate the discussion with an experienced panel that shared their advice and insights including Rob Cottingham of Social Signal, David Jones of Flieshman Hillard, Steve Osgoode of Harper Collins Canada.

Admittedly it is a bit of shameless self-promotion re: linking to my podcast from this blog. However, the panel session is really worth a listen.

The conference was a big hit and congratulations go out to my fellow organizing committee and the wonderful staff at CMA for putting on such a fabulous event (again!).

Ask a Legend

PROFIT magazine runs a regular feature called "Ask the Legends", where anyone can pose a question of some of Canada's greatest entrepreneurs. Recent subjects have included such top-notch marketers as Harry Rosen and Miles Nadal. The next scheduled guest is John Forzani of Forzani Group, the sporting goods chain that operates under such well-known banners as Sport Chek and Sport Experts. Everyone is invited to ask a question of John. Submit yours to legends@profit.rogers.com. PROFIT will post his answers here.

Why leave a business transaction to email?

A friend recently referred me to a pet services firm - the kind that offers boarding and regular walking services. I needed to board my pet for a few days, and was pleased to find the company's website useful (provided everything I needed to know), thorough (all the pricing questions answered), and easy to use (I intuitively knew just where to look for things). I felt a customer's delight in finding the services that I was excited to use with confidence.

First, I needed to arrange a pet consultation - to ensure my fido had what it takes to be looked after. I called the owner directly to make the appointment, but he couldn't talk at that moment (in all fairness, I inadvertantly called his cell, not the office), I called the office a few days later, a staff person said he would get back to me about the appointment. I also emailed my request, an option promoted on the company website.

To make a long story short - the firm did reply to me via email to set-up the appointment. I never received the email; I will make the assumption it had something to do with the name of the firm (can't give that up here) that triggered filtering at the server side.

In the absence of a reply, my excitement fizzled to disappointment and settled into annoyance. Why didn't a staff person just pick-up the phone to call to close the deal? Why leave a business transaction to email?

That's the lesson here. For many transactions, the phone is still the most reliable medium to communicate with customers and connect on a personal level.

We used to talk live - person to person. We have moved into the realm of over-confidence and reliance on the email channel. It's easier and faster. The downside is, you just never know what gets missed.

Get inspired

You know what I love about today’s new marketing environment? It’s that I have a chance to meet and work side-by-side with incredibly inspiring people. How can you not be inspired by it all? Its dynamic, fresh and is changing the way we do business forever. However, I will admit, that at times its all a little overwhelming. Its hard not to just get caught up in the ‘everyday’. This new marketing world of global collaboration fused with digital and traditional media forces us to think more creatively then ever before. Sometimes we need a little inspiration to get us back in the grove.

So ... I thought I would share a few things that I do to “get inspired”. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas as well!

1. Read biographies. Crazy as it sounds, some of my best ideas are inspired by something someone did back in the 16th century!

2. Spend time with kids. My two little ones always amaze me. Not just because I am their Dad, but they are so innovative and imaginative.

3. Podcasts. My life is so busy that I have very little time to read my favourite blogs or industry rags/newsletters. Podcasts allow me to listen to inspiring interviews, creative thinking and new ideas. The great thing is I can listen to them while I'm working out, driving the car ... in fact, as I am writing this post I am listening to David Pogue latest review of new technology for The New York Times.

4. Get away. Travel when you can. You may have heard this before, “The world is full of inspiration”.

5. Attend the TED conference. If you ever get a chance to attend, please do! Conferences in general are great ways of sparking and sharing new ideas. But TED is a whole other experience onto itself.

What's in a Portal?

"Portal" is one of those catch-all words that's been bandied about the Web for years. In the technology arena, names like Plumtree, iPlanet and Epicentric were synonymous with the term, but as they were gobbled up by larger vendors the definition became more broad in its definition. If you ask a Marketer today, it seems every firm has a portal (and every marketing manager has a "dashboard", but that's another story).

- So what's in your portal?
- Has it delivered the communication efficiencies, ability to collaborate and personalized user experience it was purported to offer?
- Are you using it within (between departments) and outside your organization (for customers, suppliers and partners)?
- Who's the main beneficiary of the portal?

At the CMA, we believe there's been a renewed interest in portals as Marketers and IT professionals are bridging the 'digital divide' that has traditionally existed between business and technology. Barriers are coming down and communication and collaboration are growing. Have you got any 'war stories' you'd like to share? Our readers are interested.

Ad Persuasion

Sometimes I find myself watching an episode of Ad Persuasion on television. It’s an interesting look at the world of advertising, where notable creative folk discuss its various forms; rationalize award winning work and salute the wunderkinds who captivate us during the commercial breaks. During the show, I was enjoying listening to art directors and copy writers discuss what they think about the clients they develop work for. In last week’s episode, a creative director from a US advertising agency went so far as to say “if only they (clients) would get out of the way of the creative process and let us do our jobs, the calibre of creativity would increase and there wouldn’t be a need for TiVOs anymore.” Is that what they think? If only the answer was that simple.

Yes, look at the adoption rate of TiVOs (in the US) and PVRs in Canada – but for another answer. The super cool digital cable TV box allows the viewer to control their experience… right down to zapping out the commercials. It’s true, experts estimate upwards of 70% of us actively look for ways to block advertising. Is it because the creative is boring? No. It is because we want something more unique and personal than the advertiser – sponsored content model of today. Young viewers who have been raised on the Internet demand they control their media viewing experiences – and they’re showing us how they intend to do it. Welcome to the world of user generated content.

Recently, a colleague and I listened to a keynote address by Hunter Madsen, head of marketing for Yahoo! Canada. He talked about how media companies like Yahoo!, MSN, and AOL are trying to make money in the user generated content world or social networks - where traditional advertising is verboten. Madsen spoke about three ways to get invited:

1. Crash the party – place commercial messaging into video streams and other online content – the most basic and least liked form but still effective
2. Hold a party yourself – Develop an interactive area for users (blogs, Q&A, question submits, etc.) and introduce answers by “industry experts”
3. Be a party promoter – employ viral marketing, blogging – even pay cool bloggers to show up – and generate buzz and interest around your event

To be heard and remembered in these forums, advertising (I mean sponsored content) has to engage, compel and provoke. Opinions matter. Production values not as much. Take for example the Doritos commercials aired during last year’s Super Bowl – each created for less than $10K a piece - now highly circulated on You Tube. The Dove beauty spot is another. Admittedly more costly but an innovative and captivating piece of film. It became popular, I believe, because it delivered more comment than commerce.

As we watch user generated channels enter and evolve in the market at lightening speed, the creative team that figures out how to develop relevant, breakthrough creative I’m sure will be featured on a future episode of Ad Persuasion. And I plan to watch it.

Lost in Translation – Lead Transfer Protocol

It happens all too often... Information loss between inside/outside sales leads to prospect discomfort when transitioned between the inside and outside resource.

A key speedbump in the overall demand creation process often occurs at the point when a prospect is ready to “graduate” from an inside rep to a field resource. Even with sales force automation tools that provide an external rep with a supposedly complete history of interactions with a prospect, key details often get lost in translation. Leading organizations have a detailed transfer process whereby an inside rep briefs his or her external partner on leads that are ready to be passed over. Even better is to schedule a teleconference call with the prospect, inside rep and field rep, which provides a more seamless transition for the prospect, and promotes closer working relationships between your sales teams as they prepare for, conduct and debrief these joint calls.

Understanding Youth

Last week, I attended Strategy Magazine’s annual “Understanding Youth” conference. Not only did I get to meet my idol, Alan Cross, I also had an opportunity to hear what some of the experts had to say about youth and youth culture.

“Youth” as marketers refer to it has many different names – Gen Y, Gen M, Millennials, Echo Boomers etc. People always ask me why I stay on top of this generation even if I'm the stereotypical epitome of Generation X. Marketing is a part of culture and culture is a part of marketing. The “Youth” is the generation influencing the generations before and after them.

The theme of the Understanding Youth Conference focused on 5 Pillars of Youth Culture. They were:

1. Entertainment
The big networks like ABC, NBC etc. are redefining themselves. They recognize that their consumers are living online so they are now bringing their programming directly to them. We as individuals are also our own networks. We can share our personal content through social networking, blogs etc. for the world to see.

2. Fashion
Green is the new black. Fashion now has a conscience. For example, in the UK you can buy a recycled shopping bag for 5 pounds that says “I’m not a plastic bag”. It is now available on e-bay for $300 US.
Fashion is now a right. Retailers like H&M make designer fashion affordable and attainable by everyone.

3. Technology
Anything can be mashed up. Mash ups are only for music. For example, Apple’s 1984 commercial was mashed up with a Hilary Clinton debate. Once you post your content online, anyone can do anything to it whenever and however they want.

4. Sports
Sports are not just about exercise and getting in shape. It’s also about fashion. Fashion designers are partnering with sports companies to create fashion sports lines i.e. Stella McCartney with Adidas.

5. Music
Gone are the days of the punks, the rockers and the preps (or as my generation calls them, the Duranies). The music genre lines are blurred. There is no one musical genre leading the way. If you go through the iPod of a “Youth” you will see an eclectic mix of music as well as some mash ups.

I firmly believe that marketers should stay on top of what is going on with Generation Y. Afterall, as cheesy as it sounds, they are our future and they are leading the way.

Make a tree

Most of us have tried some of the relatively new websites out there that allow us to connect in some way to others. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and many others.

I understand the draw. Each time you check your e-mail, someone else wants to be your friend and there are a ton of updates about people you have linked with to keep you engaged.

I have to admit I'm still old school about friends. I would rather get together for a chat than go online to stay in touch. Even though this is my preference I can understand the attraction to stay e-connected when time is a valuable commodity.

I stumbled across a site the other day called Geni.

The idea of the site is pretty simple. You start by building a family tree (you enter your parents, spouse, kids, brothers, sisters etc.). You can then add the e-mail addresses of family members and they can add to the tree (you all get access to the same family tree but from their point of view).

I have always wanted to get our family tree built somewhere (I am concerned that allot of our family history will be lost in the next decade or two). I thought I'd give this site a try.

The interface is very well done but I am always skeptical that a site will be able to do the things it's supposed to.

I was pleasantly surprised about this site.

On Saturday I entered my immediate family info in (about 10 names), and their e-mail addresses to help build the site. By Monday I had 82 family members added (all by other people).

Each family member had added people, as well as e-mail addresses, and those new people added people and so on. It only took 4 days to add 82 people!

It's not done; I'm guessing it will be well over 100 by the end of this week.

Another nice feature about the site is you can add relevant details about each person. All the details you would want to know about your long lost great grandfather for example. Very valuable, irreplaceable information.

It used to be that one person would take on the responsibility of building a family tree (and that's probably why many never got made). This technology reduces that burden. No one minds adding a few people here and there. If everyone in your family does that, you could have a complete family tree (going as far back as possible) in weeks.

My favourite part about building this tree was a nice note from my almost 70 year old Aunt in England about 30 minutes after I added her and her e-mail address to the site. She let me know how much fun she was having with the site and had already added 20 names (and so on, and so on).

The technology allows any family member in the world with internet access to get involved in a project and stay connected to each other in a fun way. You receive an e-mail, for example, when someone in your tree is going to celebrate a birthday. There are real marketing opportunities here since there is a built in trust (in most cases) to the people you are linked to. It looks like Geni is working on some of these opportunities.

What if we all went in and did this? Perhaps you'd eventually find out you are related to that person down the hall. Okay maybe that's not always such a good thing :)

Is there anything really new under the sun?

I've been reflecting a lot lately on the fact that it seems like there are no new ideas when it comes to marketing a new product or service. Sure, you can find all sorts of products that are "NEW & IMPROVED!". But where are the seriously new ways to market old products or brand new category changing products.

Back in the mid-90's, Peter Coish and his team at Wunderman looked around the world and saw that home and auto insurance was being sold on television via 1-800 numbers. England was ahead of the curve and home & auto insurance products were all over the telly -- all you had to do was call a 1-800 number to sign up. While a bank or two in Canada may have tipped their big toe into the water at that time, nothing really came of it. Until DirectProtect Home Insurance jumped into the deep end of the pool when it was launched by Peter and his team as a test on television. The campaign (you may remember a tiny man walking around a big yellow coffee mug and telephone receiver) was a raging success and won the CMA's highest honour -- the Best of the Best Award at that year's RSVP Awards.

I returned to Wunderman the following year and Peter and I launched DirectProtect Auto Insurance. Again, a brand new entry into the marketplace for auto insurance. A new way of selling insurance was born. Now it's a commodity market. But my point is that Peter and his client looked beyond Canada for inspiration and had the vision and guts to reinvent that success here.

Another famous example is what Dave Nichol did with President's Choice. The model was established in the States and Europe, I believe. There was nothing like it in Canada. They tested the concept with a Chocolate Chip Cookie and the rest is history.

Where are our risk-takers and visionaries today? Where are the really new ideas?

F**CK OFF – The campaign made me look… but do I want to turn the lights off?

I thought I’d wait until the media coverage died down before I reflected on a recent advertising campaign that had tongues wagging.

The FLICK OFF program, announced April 27th was designed to ‘generate awareness of the devastating effects of global warming and reach out to young Ontarians of every age, every demographic and encourage them to turn off the lights and conserve energy.” The initiative is a coalition sponsored by the Province of Ontario Environmental Defence department, Virgin Mobile, Muchmusic and Roots Canada. Total cost - $500,000.

During the news conference, I watched Minister of the Environment Laurel Broten (M.P.P Etobicoke – Lakeshore) and media junkie Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, take questions from reporters. I listened as the tone gradually shifted from celebratory excitement to defensive explainations on how a cheeky four letter word and logo (that uses capital letters “L” and “I” to look like a “U”) will encourage us to turn out the lights.

Clearly, the client and agency felt that they needed this approach in order to ‘break through’ media clutter and get people talking. However judging by reactions of Ontarians, the results have been polarizing. The discussion appears to have landed on the creative execution instead of the messages being communicated. You either love it or hate it. Peter Kormos, an NDP critic, called the campaign “silly, embarrassing and clearly it’s an ad agency that has a bunch of flickin' amateurs as employees." The campaign's website http://www.flickoff.org uses such phrases as "Go flick yourself," and "Are we flicked?" On the homepage, there’s a “Flicker of the Week” and a call to action that says: "We need you to FLICK OFF, and tell everyone you know to FLICK OFF. The more you do it, the cooler it gets. The planet, that is."

I thought it would be interesting to evaluate this creative idea against a checklist I use to evaluate new campaign ideas recommended by our agencies:

1. Does the advertising surprise and reward the viewer?
2. Is it clear what action the audience is intended to take?
3. Will the creative breakthrough?
4. Is the visual style and tone of voice appropriate for the target audience?
5. Is it single minded?
6. Is it campaignable – does it have legs?
7. Does the idea work in French?

I’ll let you decide the answers. As a marketer, I can see both points of view here. On the one hand, to reach consumers in today’s fragmented media world of gadgets, web spaces, cell phones, PVRs, iPods and X-boxes, we’re constantly re-evaluating our approaches on how to get attention, deliver a message, have it understood *instantly* and track the results. On the other hand, I also see how this work is seen as juvenille and vulgar. But I also couldn’t help but appreciate the irony in this - that our 'media' world is as polluted and noisy as the real one and we need these ‘hyper-sassy’ messages to cut through. However, I’ll stop short of saying if I think the campaign is working until I see my next hydro bill.

You can't get blood from a Rolling Stone

As if the world hasn't bought enough stuff from the Rolling Stones. RIM apparently contracted to make a Rolling Stones brand Blackberry. Either that was a misguided effort to make Blackberry users feel hip, or a misguided effort to make the Rolling Stones relevant to something other than nostalgia.

The Globe and Mail is reporting that clever people at RIM thought twice about a Rolling Stones brand Blackberry.
Now, RIM is no stranger to lawsuits, having settled its big patent lawsuit with NTP for $612 million. So the $5 million the Rolling Stones are claiming for backing out of the deal is probably no big deal.

TEXT ‘CMA’ to 701701 to learn more…

New technology or media inevitably bring with it a whole slew of new terminology, concepts and applications. It happened with the internet and search engine marketing. It’s happening with social media. It’s happening with mobile marketing…

My business is mobile marketing and while it’s nice to often be the subject-matter expert in the room, the sector as a whole will clearly benefit from having more people conversant in the key elements of the industry. So for my first CMA Blog post, I’ve compiled some basic info that will hopefully make you more fluent in mobile marketing-speak. Sort of a mobile 101:

• SMS: Short Message Service. A wireless messaging service that involves the transmission of a short text message and its receipt by a wireless terminal. AKA ‘a text message’.
• MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service. A wireless messaging service that involves non-text content such as images, audio, video, rich text.
• IVR: Interactive Voice Response. In marketing terms, a pre-recorded voice message delivered to a wireless terminal.
• Shortcode: Special telephone numbers designed for mobile marketing, shorter than full telephone numbers, which can be used to address SMS and MMS messages. In Canada, shortcodes are 5 or 6 digits in length.
• Keyword: The term (or SMS message) used to initiate participation in a mobile marketing interaction. Ex. Text ‘win’ to 12345, where ‘win’ is the keyword (and 12345 is the shortcode).

For a truly comprehensive glossary of mobile & wireless terms, you’ll be hard pressed to do better than the CWTA’s (Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association) compilation. Mobile marketing is also subject to a number of understandable, but frustrating myths about how it works. Here’s a list of some of the more common myths and the truth behind them:

• It’s difficult to execute. 90% of campaigns can be setup within 5 weeks, shorter even if you own your shortcode. There are nuances and intricacies to executing successful campaigns, but your mobile marketing provider can help you work through those issues. The biggest challenge is adding the mobile call-to-action to media executions
• The mobile phone is a stand-alone marketing channel. Mobile does not stand alone. It is more a strategy then a channel. It serves as a response and measurement tool that spans across all traditional marketing channels. What is certain is that mobile works best when it’s integrated with existing, conventional media, executions.
• The consumer pays. It is baffling that some brands charge their consumers to interact via mobile. Why would one create another barrier like a $0.50 per text charge to enter a promotion? Too many people hear about American Idol figures (75 million votes were cast at $0.50 per) and think their brand promotions have content that can justify making consumers pay a premium. Stick to standard rate shortcodes – charge the consumer the same as what it costs to send peer-to-peer messages.
• It’s difficult to opt out. A consumer can opt out of any mobile marketing program at anytime by texting the word STOP, END, or REMOVE. The governing body of shortcode programs (the CWTA) has mandated these opt out procedures for all mobile communications. Good mobile marketing is not spamming, it is permission-based marketing.

Mobile continues to expand its capabilities with mobile websites, TV, and other content providers (along with the associated advertising). But the reality is that the vast majority of mobile marketing programs use SMS or MMS messages and are built around one of the following applications:

• Text to win
• Text to vote
• Text Trivia
• Mobile Coupons
• Alerts
• Text to Screen

Now that we’re speaking the same language, let’s walk and talk….

Brady Murphy @ Vortxt Interactive

Events and Anniversaries

Events:
Just back from the Canadian Marketing Association's 40th annual National Convention and Tradeshow held this year in Ottawa. It was another inspirational trek to where marketing is headed, continuing the fine tradition of showcasing great speakers that detailed what is on the horizon and how our companies and brands can get there sooner.

Everything from wikis and podcasts, persuasion and influence, pull versus push, participation versus interruption, blue ocean strategies and collaborative corporate cultures that work, the future indeed looks brighter from the conversations stimulated at the conference. The three-days flew by and I am already looking forward to Toronto in 2008.

My personal highlight of the conference was John Wood who wrote "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World" and spoke about his phenomenal project "Room To Read" that is making a huge difference in the world. Check out Room to Read and see what he started. It is truley inspiring.

Anniversaries:
This week marks the first anniversary of the CMA blog. An initiative that started with an idea at the digital marketing council has now become a legacy project that I am really pleased to have been a part of.

Two hundred and fifty odd posts over the year is a great sign that we have created a sustainable part of the CMA's voice. The blog has become a must read and is not just for members only but is for marketers and communicators world wide. And, people from all over the world are checking it out and noticing our efforts. There have been some great conversations, commentaries and controversies that we are putting out for consumption on a regular basis and, by doing so, propelling our industry forward.

All good. And, the best is yet to come.

Thanks to everyone who has helped and made the blog a success - especially Sandra Singer of CMA who has been there as the blogs biggest supporter since before day one. Don't forget you can get involved too, let us know if you want to join in and become a CMA blogger.

Risk taking or benchmarking?

A recent post, in reference to marketing ideas, posed the question, “Where are the risk takers?” This really got me thinking – I mean really thinking – why do clients/marketers fear moving outside of their comfort zone? What does risk really mean in terms of marketing, and why, and this is the honest truth, is DIGITAL still outside of the comfort zone for many clients?

Accountability has a lot to do with the “risk aversion” that many marketers experience. Any brand manager who is coming off a reasonable year of growth is going to ask – why should I depart from what I know works? But here in lies the paradox. The alternate scenario of the brand manager who is coming off a poor year, may likely exist because new learning, trying something new, taking a risk, wasn’t done when the going was good.

Too often we wait until we are forced to react to market conditions such as a poor sales quarter before we attempt to move outside of our comfort zone and embrace new ideas. This more often than not leads to poor results because we are reacting to a situation that has been defined for us, rather than one that was proactively sought.

The solution to the risk challenge has to start with honestly defining the risk. What is it that you are really putting on the line with this new out of the box initiative?

The end game for marketing, the sole reason why we ultimately exist, is to sell. If what you are about to do will definitively impact the number of units you move, or customers you acquire, (in other words if you are a direct marketer with solid data), then yes you are taking a marketing risk. But if the initiative you are about to undertake is one that is a result of proper due diligence and has a clearly defined objective, your probably not taking a risk, it’s more likely that you’re setting benchmarks.

I know a Good Tag line When I Taste it.

This Victoria Day long weekend is a uniquely Canadian event. It signals the unofficial start of our long awaited summer season. From here on out, it’s weekends in cottage country, entertaining on backyard decks, trips to the garden centre and practicing the fine art of BBQ-ing. I’m writing this on my laptop from my deck, with frequent pauses to focus my attention on a frosty beverage by my side.

So here’s my metaphor in celebration of all things grilled – creating the perfect advertising tag line is like cooking the perfect burger. To start out, you'll need the right ingredients to work with (product / research / creativity); then carefully blend them until you achieve just the right balance of taste and texture (not too much stirring, just the right amount of spice), and then cook to perfection (know when it’s done by knowing how your customer likes it). And like the perfectly BBQ’d burger, the advertising tag line is a tradition that’s here to stay.

Advertising tag lines help create message order in a chaotic media world. In seven words or less, they deliver an idea, belief or aspiration. They organize related marketing programs under one umbrella. And as consumers become more and more expensive to reach, companies will assign greater importance and resources to building a distinct voice that gets into multiple channels.

To stay relevant in today's changing media landscape, tag lines will evolve to stay relevant. Look for more examples that include sound textures, video or new creative combinations designed to work together, build a distinct voice and get our attention.

Whatever the format the line takes, any good tag line should meet the following acid test: i). be distinctive and unique, ii). connect emotionally with the reader or listener and iii). be believable. Examples of tag lines that I think meet these criteria are:

1. I am Canadian – (Molson): This became a rallying cry for college and university students everywhere. Unlike the usual beer advertising, this phrase zeroed in on our desire to be recognized as different an unique (from our American beer drinking buddies).

2. Your potential. Our Passion. (Microsoft): The focus isn’t on the software that Microsoft builds, but rather the promise of what customers can do with their products. Simple and empowering.

3.You Can Do it. We Can Help. (The Home Depot). In six words, this tag line eliminates the fear and frustration out of home renovation projects.

In their own way, each of these lines is distinctive, believable and connects the reader with the product or company. Like a perfectly cooked burger – you know a good tag line when you taste it.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Brand Matters recently moderated an industry panel discussion on branding in a new media environment. As the moderator, I had prepared a high-level discussion guide of topics relevant to this subject, but even still I couldn’t predict how the audience would react to the panelists’ comments and my view of what is relevant. I had difficulty giving into an audience controlled environment, but I knew that this situation would be the most engaging and spontaneous for all participants.

Examples of campaigns that used new media were incorporated into the discussion through the use of audio and visual equipment. This was a new addition to the panel format. In addition, I’m also uncertain how this blog post will be accepted and valued by readers. So, it could be reasoned that I am using new and interactive media to support my industry involvement activities. The issue is: Does this mean that I have given up control of my marketing tactics? Given into the audience as the artist? “Let go” of manipulation? And, perhaps most importantly, am I empowered?

Michael O’Connor Clarke of Thornley Fallis Communications observed the idea of “the artists formerly known as the audience,” suggesting that you can offer your audience the ideas and perhaps give them a nudge in the direction that you would like to see your marketing tactics take, but ultimately it’s the audience that gets to decide how they will be engaged. One of the key insights was that a large portion of the content that young people view online has come to their attention from someone they know – through the grapevine so to speak. This reasoning gave way to Strategy Magazine’s Mary Maddever’s insight that marketers should focus on creating something great so that the audience is inspired to “pay it forward.” She recognizes that “the dinosaurs (of marketing) can’t let go of manipulation,” but marketing activities have shifted from mere entertainment and expenditures on buying time to a goal of providing inspiration through expenditures on content creation.

Now, I see how this may sound very “pie in the sky” and even a little bit corny, but inspiration can be relevant in many different contexts. Of course, the most appropriate is the inspiration to purchase, but this action could begin with the inspiration to pass on a good joke. New and interactive media offers its audiences more choices in how they receive and consume marketing initiatives. The challenge for marketers is how to develop those choices in a way that makes it difficult for consumers to tune their message out completely and difficult to morph their message into something that has a negative effect.

It’s also necessary for marketers to establish options for themselves so they can be prepared for all types of reactions. I’d say good practice is to be ready to engage new tactics if those audience reactions open up new avenues for your message to take. So we can give up manipulation, but there will always be elements of control.

Tagline: Quality is in our Nature

How do you get international food buyers to think about Canadian products beyond wheat, salmon, and maple syrup? I'm sure a number of marketers can relate to overcoming stereotypes such as these. For Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, this is where branding comes in.

A “Branding Canada” strategy was developed for stakeholders of Canada’s food and agriculture sector to meet this challenge head-on.

Research in key markets (US, European Union, Mexico, Japan) reveals a natural advantage for Canada: Canadians are well known, highly regarded, and seen as trustworthy. In test markets, recurrent images of Canada reflect a pristine landscape, clean environment and friendly people.

The elements of the brand strategy are captured in a new branding handbook, “Quality is in our Nature: A Guide to Building and Managing the Canada Brand for Food and Agriculture”, that contains the brand architecture, key messages, a graphics and style section and other information to help strategically brand Canada as a supplier of safe, high quality products. This along with other tools and examples of ‘how to’ is available for qualified users who sign user agreements. If you are one of them, or just want to learn more about the 'Branding Canada' strategy, visit the website.

Boomers Have Great Expectations

It should come as no surprise that much like Canada’s own Baby Boomer population, Boomers in the U.S. fully expect to have their cake and eat it too in their retirement years – and that simply may not happen for a lot of them.

A recent survey from the U.S. division of Sun Life Financial shows that many Baby Boomers will need more income early in retirement than previously expected. The survey also indicates 70 per cent of Baby Boomers expect their income needs to fluctuate greatly throughout retirement with the highest income amount needed in the first five years to fund the active lifestyles they're planning.

Boomers in the U.S. have high expectations for their early retirement years. In the first five years of retirement, Boomers indicated they plan to pursue the following lists of activities:

• 85% Domestic travel
• 83% Hobbies
• 82% International travel
• 81% Begin a new career
• 78% Spend more time with children/grandchildren
• 76% Start a business
• 73% Volunteering
• 72% Take classes or get a degree
• 61% Purchase a second home
• 56% Relocate to a new location
• 54% Assist charitable organizations

I have my doubts, but we’ll wait and see whether these great expectations become reality. As my good friend, David K. Foot, the author of Boom, Bust and Echo, often points out… the way Boomers perceive themselves usually bares little resemblance to the actual fact.

Regardless, the results should send a strong signal to marketers as to where to focus their efforts on connecting with this highly affluent demographic. And make no mistake, this survey focused on people with money. It was conducted with 1,000 non-retirees and 1,000 retirees aged 50 and over in January 2007. Each participant had over $250,000 in invested assets and was working with a financial professional in making investment decisions.

Indeed, the future for financial planners has never been brighter because as we all know many Boomers have done precious little to prepare for retirement so far. While eager to do it all, Boomers will need to figure out where to get the money. To be able to pay for retirement, I think you’ll actually see a lot more creativity coming from financial planners as people look into innovative products like reverse mortgages. In Canada, at least, I think you’ll see more people trying to unlock the equity they have managed to build up in their home. As for the U.S., the survey indicates 86 per cent plan to earn income from some form of employment. Those great expectations may never come to fruition if working longer is the answer for a lot of people.

To download a copy of the full research brief, entitled The Retirement Spending Boom, click here.

Got Joost?

I read with interest about a new technology called Joost (pronounced ‘juiced’) and its co-founders Janus Friis (30) and Niklas Zennstrom (40) in the March 12th issue of Time magazine. These guys have some huge technology achievements under their young, snazzy belts. In 2001 they launched Skype, the first internet – powered telephony service which they recently sold to eBay for $2.6 billion. In 2001 they pioneered one of the first music file sharing network services, Kazaa, simultaneously breaking new ground and moving the discussion forward on existing copyright laws. Talk about brain power squared. I got excited when I figured out how to imbed video clips into my PowerPoint presentation this week.

The Joost beta program launches in the next few weeks and has industry observers buzzing. Why? For one thing, they’re calling it a notable milestone in broadcast convergence that succeeds where others failed – streaming broadcast quality content onto the desktop PC. The other reason is the raft of believers – top notch providers who’ve signed agreements to deliver content including Viacom (MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon), Paramount and JumpTV, the world’s largest distributor of international TV stations with more than 270 stations in 70 countries.

Lean Back and Watch.
With user generated content (UGC) spaces, the user is asked to sort and click through hours of video clips and features. The accompanying advertising is framed around the content or tucked inside (remember the bridezilla meltdown on YouTube?) By contrast, Joost tells its users simply to ‘lean back and watch’ – much like what us TV sofa jockeys do today.

If you liked that…
I downloaded and installed the beta software (it will be free when launched and requires no hardware) and had the service running in about five minutes. The interface is clean and the controls are easy to use. The up/down menu lets you change content channels and access other features in the "widget menu" like news, instant messaging (SK8TR turn to channel 127 NOW!!!) or content scoring. And Joost can monitor your viewing preferences over time and suggest content options – a popular feature that online sites like Amazon already do – “if you liked that, you’ll love this…, etc.”

The advertising I’ve seen so far is similar to the sponsored content model on today's TV. But moving forward the service will be a laboratory where advertisers and agencies develop, monitor and measure in real time, the effectiveness of their new message formats and approaches. If Joost is a hit, look for ways to measure the medium not even contemplated yet.

Interactive, targeted TV is a promise we’ve already heard. But this time Joost might have the right mix of technology, content and usability working for both marketer and consumer. Plus, everyone is always eager to see innovation in the current 50 year old broadcast model. I for one will be watching, of course from the comfort of my channel surfing sofa.

To learn more visit their website, http://www.joost.com.

Self-Qualification Intelligence

Why do we continue to have an overflow of low-quality responses to our marketing campaigns, or an inability to quickly find advanced-stage buyers, or a lack of insight into general market dynamics?

It continues to baffle me; marketing organizations put together well-crafted campaign deliverables – including white papers, seminars and webinars – then fail to ask prospects anything of importance before they give this information away. There is nothing wrong with asking questions regarding purchase intent, buying process and dynamics, and key issues that a prospect is trying to solve. Another excellent idea is to include two or three survey questions on a landing page, or within a response mechanism, then feed this data back to prospects in a future deliverable. While you may see overall campaign response rates drop because of people who disengage when asked to provide information, these will tend to be “lookers” rather than true potential buyers who see utility in trading insight for information that will help them frame and solve a problem. Every interaction you have with a prospect should be considered a golden opportunity to learn more about your marketplace, a byproduct that can be as valuable as a response. Leading marketers set information-collection goals for every campaign they run in order to force them to continually become more savvy about the prospect groups they are trying to attract.