I'd Like to Order a Pizza

The flyers came in the mail today. I have to say, there were many terrible pieces that I immediately threw out... but I looked at every one of those pieces and examined them like a hawk - a sexy hawk might I add. Most were busy, loud, irritating pieces that didn't stick, didn't resonate on any level. Believe me, I had the kids and husband around analyzing and quizzing them to the point of shame.

 

 

One flyer out of all of them made an impact on all of us. The Pizza 73 piece. Now, I want to mention here, as it is completely relevant, that I am both lactose and gluten intolerant, so the thought of pizza does absolutely nothing for me, but the font (both colour and font) captured my attention, and so did the photos (large, delicious looking, and simple) and the lack of tons of text - all made it an easy read that I wanted to review. Their marketing director has the magic formula because it wasn't just me who thought this was a captivating piece, but my step son and husband who commented on the size of the photos and the lack of text. Simple, clean lines, you didn't have to think about it.

This is the key to advertising, make it simple. One point at a time - if you have more points than that let the story evolve over time but don't lay it all out at once... that's advertising rape. That's offensive.

The next time you see an ad that resonates take a closer look. Chances are it was simple, with some eye grabbing graphics/photos that made you interested in looking further.

How Far Can FREE Get Me?

Over the past two weeks I have been meeting with clients who have burned holes into my ears about "FREE" and how far they feel it will get them. I have a good photo to capture that:

 

Beautifully illustrated.

 

The term which has become short for social media, is plaguing the world because people believe - as they have been led to falsely believe, that all their marketing needs can and will be met through the use of this FREE channel. *insert sigh here*.

 

Social media, when used properly can absolutely be effective at creating awareness, and increasing reach and visibility to an entire world of consumers. When improperly used though, you're just vomiting a bunch of shit into a digital pool and praying that it resonates with someone. So in a sense, improper use of social media equals spam, but instead of someone just deleting your spam, you can bypass that so they are forced to unfollow you because you've frustrated them. #Fail

 

FREE is a lot of hard work. It's all about engaging with your audience, keeping them posted, giving them content to consume which actually matters and is compelling. There's nothing worse than going onto Facebook and learning that a friend's baby just fudged their Huggies. It becomes irritating. Content has to educate, has to inform and create a new perspective around an idea that is unique and captures the imagination.

 

To create such content I normally work with clients to help them plan a month to month digital strategy for what they want to say and what context they can create around their content. How they will respond to comments and inquiries from their followers and how they can build an online community that feels loyal. It helps them understand where to start and how to stay focused on their goals and vision.

 

So just remember, FREE can equal a sad little picture and not a piece of creative genius, when executed improperly and not given the care and focus it requires. When in doubt, spend some time watching other companies that do it well and see if you can keep up. If you can't, cut your losses and allocate some funds to a company that can do it for you, properly.

 

 

 

Emotions Stick

Amul, an East Indian Company that manufactures a variety of dairy products, recently created a commercial to promote their spreadable butter.

Now, butter isn't a very thrilling product, but I'm dairy intolerant so who the hell am I to comment? Come on though, we have all seen butter and margarine commercials and they really don't resonate - unless butter rocks your world, and that's fine too, we all have our kinks and fetishes. But what Amul was able to do went far beyond what others have done in that industry, they created an emotional connection through story telling. 

Check it out:

The story that most parents live and breathe every day was created in this commercial. Alarm goes off, wake up child, make breakfast, brush teeth, get dresses and out the door to school they go. But even I reared up with pride when the ending came with the little boy doing it all on his own. 

Emotions are powerful, they are the way we shape our memories and how we perceive the world around us. It's the way we all communicate universally - words don't speak as loud as actions, and emotions speak louder than all forms of communication. Why? Because that is how we connect. 

Amul did what few organizations have effectively replicated - emotional targeting and story telling. I'm starting to see a trend. 

Thanks Amul! Way to stick.

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Once upon a time, there were jewelry stores that advertised their products on billboards, in newspapers and on television. All of their marketing was pretty consistent in the sense that it would show a variety of blingtastic items, happy couples cuddling up, and sale information to drive store traffic. The industry allocated more funds to their branding, and when they did advertise beyond that it was always associated to big sales and "Act Now!" call to action campaigns.

Spence (as in Spence Diamonds) changed all of that.

Instead of focusing on discounting, Spence Diamonds moved away from conventional ideas of how to market, and created a constantly evolving storyline that would be played over the radio capturing the attention of everyone listening. That's right - you didn't want to change stations because of how captivating it was.

Sean, owner of Spence Diamonds, and Sarah, the Marketing girl, team up on the commercials and educate the listeners about how their stores and items are different while also showcasing their human qualities. Sarah, in one commercial, stated that she didn't feel like she and Sean were the picture of sophistication and thus were not presenting the right image to their audience. Sean responded by comforting Sarah by building her up and saying she was special and the perfect person to be representing the company brand. It was heartfelt, warming, and it was something so unique that this type of marketing was now their own. The listeners now felt like friends/family of these two radio personalities and wanted to hear the next part of the story. This time, Sarah found a boyfriend... take a listen and see what I mean.




Spence Diamonds caught my attention because they thought outside of the box. They created not only a story but the chance to identify with their audience and evoke emotions by presenting situations and conversations that we all experience with our friends and family.

Thank you Spence for marketing in a way that captures not only my ears, but my imagination, keeping your brand top of mind.

 

Leading The Consumer Down the Yellow Brick Road

 

 

 

Alright.... you're attention down here please. This billboard, displayed around the City of Calgary (a.k.a. Cow Town) captures the attention of every man, woman, child.... bird, plane, etc. It is HOT.  I'm positive these girls had a lovely childhood and their parents are proud. Way to pay for your college education, you all have a promising future as our leaders of tomorrow.

 

Now, the poster itself does a terrific job of capturing your attention, because you're most likely a little bored on your drive (especially during rush hour) and this image is shocking. It's almost crossing a line but not quite. Even if you can get past the scantily clad women, the message is erotic, promising "The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Boots On". This billboard actually found its way into my brain, and stayed top of mind long enough for me to drive over one evening to meet some friends.

 

This dear readers, is where it all went terribly wrong...

 

Upon walking into the Casino, I was greeted by the usual bouncers, and then walking past them I was underwhelmed by the complete opposite of what the above poster promised. Around every corner was a man or woman, median age 70 who had completely lost the will to live. Where were the hotties? This was the biggest shock of all.... there weren't any. Even the Go Go Dancers looked like they wanted to light up and numb the pain of a) boredom and b) depression.

 

The Poster advertises the name "Cowboys Casino" which unfortunately leads the audience to believe that these hot young girls will be in the Casino walking around, flirting, and giving them a time to remember while playing the slots and winning big (the Canadian dream if you weren't lucky enough to get hired into the oil and gas sector). In tiny type though, at the bottom of the ad, the second website address advertises the nightclub.... ah, yes.... the important factor I was missing. Though, I'm sure I am not alone. Why the words Casino were typed in such big font when the venue they wanted to take traffic to was their nightclub, is truly beyond me. It's misleading, and I am sure they knew that. Chances are they were willing to show hot girls, drive traffic to their location, and risk people being unhappy with the casino but still wanting to have an encounter with the poster girls. It is a good tactic, but it will at some point leave a bad taste in the mouths of the intelligent. But perhaps that isn't the crowd they are catering to.

 

The issue really is, that at the end of my time at Cowboys, after seeing what I saw, I can have more fun anywhere with my boots on, and I don't really think Ethel is my type anyway.

 

 

Milestone in My Mailbox

Milestones did a phenomenal job this evening of catching my attention. By having a 4 point fold out that included a ton of information along with glued on gift cards, this was a piece am hanging on to. Way to go Milestones! You impacted me and we will be visiting soon!

Junk Mail

Every day I go to my mailbox (okay, every few days because I'm lazy and my husband seems to be immune to the freezing cold temperatures). Every time I do so I am inundated with paper. It's like an entire forest was slaughtered and not for a good cause because I'm not moved by any of these postcards. I quickly glance through each piece, separating my mail from the "junk". It is such a depressing daily ritual because let's face the facts - at the end of the day, a mundane day of sitting and working your ass off, you want to be rewarded with something that will surprise you in a good way.

Every time we go to that mailbox we subconsciously are hoping to receive something special, something just for us. Something besides bills, insurance information and the usual crap ads that have no relevance to our lives. It is depressing because instead of that surprise we were hoping for, it's just the same old ritual with no reward.

This evening my husband leafed through our mail and handed me, as he normally does, the "junk mail". To most of you, receiving the leftovers of mail from your partner would probably come across as more of an insult, but truth be told, I love advertising and I enjoy looking through it to see what resonates.

My husband after a few minutes asked "so, can I throw this stuff out?" and instead of giving my approval as I normally do I quizzed him on why certain pieces looked like junk compared to other pieces. His response was the following:

1) Too many pages (Go Pages)
2) Cheap deals that I don't feel are worth my while
3) I want something tactile like gift cards that give more credibility. (Milestones)

My husband wasn't far off, in fact I would bet that he sits in exactly the same spot as most people when it comes to their direct mail or "junk mail". It is far too complicated or busy, there is too much focus on discounting a solution that the prospect does not even know about, and the company fails to create credibility. So they all create a reputation for themselves as "junk" because they have failed to educate the consumer of WHY their solution, HOW it would benefit them and WHY the company deserves to be chosen over their industry peers. Most companies assume that the person reviewing the collateral are looking to buy now when most people are only just being introduced to that brand and still need time and information before they can commit.

Committing, for any of us, is hard. I like to use the analogy of dating when it comes to marketing. You catch the eye of that special someone and instead of running up to them and proposing that you get hitched, have 5 kids and run away to some foreign land, you smile. That smile captures their attention and they smile back. From here you walk toward each other and say hello, introduce each other and on each date from there, learn about what makes them tick and what makes the two of you compatible. Sounds a lot like marketing actually. Marketers who are experienced understand this concept, they know that they don't need to drop their pants to get the business, it's about interacting with the customer, understanding them, engaging them on a higher level and then finding that fit. It's called a mutualistic relationship. It's called standing out from everyone else and catching your audience offhand by being that wonderful and unexpected surprise.

What resonates with you in your mailbox? Wouldn't it be amazing to get something that surprised you and invited you to the dance?

Oh the possibilities.