New Brand Life

In its fifty years of business, Roberts Sand Company catered to the needs of contractors by providing rock, soil, sand and gravel for a variety of applications. Faced with a dramatic shift in their customer base because of the decline in construction projects, ALCOM was hired to create a marketing campaign that redefined the company's brand and focused on homeowners, especially older women. This TV ad presents the personal benefit of the products and demonstrates the involvement of the brand in their lifestyle.

Texting For Dollars

Truth is, there are more text transmissions sent daily than there are people on the planet. While this continues to add billions of dollars to the profits of telephone companies, what can it do for a local business wanting to tap into the flow. As in every case when it comes to marketing, it is always about balancing the effectiveness of the message with the efficiency of delivery. So, can text advertising, for all of its efficiency, be effective in motivating people to buy?

The strongest argument to be made is based upon the idea that the population of consumers likes the less-intrusive and less time-consuming aspects of text. On some imaginary scale showing the "degree of engagement", text messaging might be on one end of that scale while a lunch meeting would be on the other. In between these two would be, email, e-letters , written letters, and phone conversations.

A text message that can get the point across without requiring more of the recipient than a glance at their cell phone might be ideal if the content of the message is instrumental in nature. For example, one of our clients uses our TextMarket service to regularly send texts to his restaurant customers informing them of daily specials. "99 cent tacos, 4p to 11p dine-in only" might be the entire message. He has declared repeatedly how effective this strategy has been for his sales. "We get 30 per cent response rates, when our old printed coupons might bring 1 or 2 per cent for the same offer." And why does this work so well?

Think about the fact that this simple text message is being sent to an individual who has chosen to opt in to this special group of customers. They are a fan and this message reinforces that fact while rewarding them for their loyalty. And more so, it is immediate, simple, (and perhaps this is the most significant point) it fits into the time-flow of a person's daily activity without requiring unwanted engagement. No web site to visit, no print out required, no coupon to clip, and no response required other than showing up at the right time and showing the text message to the server. Pretty simple. Very effective. Brilliantly efficient.   

Don't Shoot The Messenger

When the results of our advertising efforts disappoint us, often times we blame the medium we have chosen to deliver our message. It's been my observation that the radio, TV, on-line, outdoor, direct-mail or whatever we've utilized has done just what it was designed to do. The problem lies with our unskillful, or unplanned use of it. A more lengthy discussion of this point can be found at "Another Urban Legend Foiled".

Here, I want us to consider "social media" as these are loosely referred to when talking about Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and the like. These more recently-developed on-line communication tools have empowered the population with unprecedented control. The problem remains, as with all media, how best to apply each one and in concert. We must also ask how these are best used in coordination with other media.

The good news is, there are not as many rules for social media as there are for traditional media. These are still emerging and like any virgin territory, this process is guided by those in power. But this time, those in power are those who comprise the populace of users. While certainly, the purveyors of the service still hold title to the "land" and have control over the general structure, it's much more like the fence around the school yard that defines the area but allows you to do what you will with the space.

Unlike the days when a generation ago we all sat around glowing television sets and waited for the three networks to tell us how it was going to be, now, we decide that with every interaction, every posting, every key stroke. It truly is revolutionary. Of course some people want to apply the rules of the prior to this new environment, but it doesn't work.

An example of this is illustrated in the comments I received from a friend who told me that someone else had complained to him about me promoting one of our clients by inviting my Facebook friends to patronize the client's restaurant. "He's just doing that to profit his own business" this person complained. Right. Of course I did. What this person doesn't understand is the position any of us, and all of us occupy within this medium: we are the programmers. We are the network. We decide. And my decision to invite my friends is no different than one of the television networks inviting its viewers to patronize one of its advertisers. As to credibility, my position as a Facebook user, is much more vulnerable than a TV broadcaster. It's my personal reputation that's on the line and that of my company. So, to me, this encourages a greater degree of socially responsible behavior. I can't hide behind a corporate veil or assume some third-party immunity. The forces of free-market enterprise will continue to be in play. If my attempts are unsuccessful, I will have to modify or suffer loss.

As we go forward through this unexplored opportunity for communication, I suggest we all relax and try to enjoy the ride. We will continue to discover ways to make it work even more efficiently and effectively. We will continue to invent unique applications that can be incorporated into our "play". This may be bad news for those who are stuck in a traditional frame of mind, but for the rest of us, it is the most exciting time of our marketing and advertising lives.

Another urban legend foiled

Advertising: Which Half is Working?


Another urban legend foiled: not just half of your advertising is working—it’s all working! That is to say, it is being viewed or heard or read by someone, somewhere within the consuming audience of that medium. As such, it is “working” to create a lasting impression, or drive sales, or position the business name, or even boost company morale. That doesn’t mean it is working to achieve your particular objective. The manner in which you have chosen to advertise may not be the most effective and/or the most efficient for the message you’re trying to convey. The first step is to consider whether the content of your message matches the context of the medium you have chosen.

Perhaps you have said this: “We tried [radio, tv, newspaper, outdoor, etc] …it doesn’t work.” When I am presented with such a claim, I first review the content and the intention of the advertising. As I do so, I find it useful to apply Marshall McLuhan’s (1967) assertion: the “medium is the message”. Okay… but if that’s true shouldn’t we consider what is the medium saying? Further, are all media saying the same thing? And, is this “medium message”, or what some call the meta-message consistent with the content of our advertising, not to mention, our overall marketing objectives?

If you agree with any of this, permit me further to assert that each medium delivers one meta message unique to its domain and this must be the basis of our selection. Audience size, cost efficiency, geography, and demography, even ad composition all come after this consideration. That’s why you don’t see doctors and lawyers driving around with magnetic signs on their cars. We all know it intuitively. No matter how informative or how attractive, the message is all wrong.

Matching up your message, your target, and your objective with the right medium at the right time is fundamental to the game. For sure, if you are not doing this part right— and this part you do control, it is pointless to think that you can expect efficient, effective advertising results.

With good intentions, people run TV ads that amount to the announcer reading newspaper copy. Or vice versa, they place display ads in print that are intended to develop the “image” of the product or the business. TV ads best build image. Print ads best give the details. These folks are not using the meta-message of the medium to their advantage.

How many times have you heard a radio ad that gave you the phone number at the end. Like you’re supposed to remember this. With a few good exceptions, there aren’t too many phone numbers that have a “ring” to them (pardon the pun). Most radio listening is done while driving. So, I guess we’re supposed to cradle the cell phone and steer with our knees while we jot down the number. Radio is best used to convey urgency, not all the details. Get us excited! We’ll look up the number, or find it in the newspaper ad you just told us to be looking for!

A simple rule is to ask: “Why”, “When”, “How”, “Where”, and “Who”. Everyone who ever buys from you will have to answer each of these questions. Each advertising medium: TV, radio, newspaper, outdoor, and direct mail can be matched by their respective ability to answer each of these questions. If you are trying to get people to buy from you “now”, not “later”, use radio to drive your sales incentives. Radio personalities and voice actors are great at getting people pumped about your “event”.

When the objective is to help people find you, select a billboard near your location and give them simple instructions ( a couple of words!) and an arrow if possible. Likewise, Outdoor Advertising can also help to “locate” your business mentally. A billboard can increase awareness by saying figuratively “we are here!” i.e. “we are open and ready to do business”. Meanwhile, TV best answers the question “why” someone should do business with you by virtue of its ability to engage a person emotionally far more than any other medium.

Of course any of these media can be used to answer any of these questions, but, like using a screwdriver handle to drive a nail, though it may eventually get the job done, the time you’ve wasted, and the risk you took in actually doing damage can leave you wondering if any of it is worthwhile…whether any of your advertising is working. The truth is, all advertising works when it is worked in the right way and with respect for your message.