Winning Moves: Is the Ball in Your Court?

Marketing isn’t just about getting the right message to the right person. It’s about using the right medium, and delivering the message at the right time. Most people just focus on the first three, and hope the timing is right.

I took a lesson I learned from dating my now-husband and use it in marketing–for myself and my clients. You can, too!

 http://visionsmc.com/newsletter/December09.html

Vulnerable Tag Lines?

Buick has taken the gloves off in a billboard attack on Lexus. “Something else for Lexus to relentlessly pursue” is Buick’s response to Lexus’ most recent campaign, “The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection.”

Buick’s attack is witty and successful. It has received a lot of attention in the automotive and media worlds, and on the highways where the billboards are shouting their message–a lot of heavy traffic areas where people have time to linger. It also highlights the importance of well thought out messaging.

The attack very accurately exposes the vulnerability of Lexus’s key message. Philosophers and deep thinkers alike agree that perfection is an unattainable ideal. However, do your really want a consumer thinking that about your product?

A better tag line would have been Lexus’ strongest offense. In lieu of that, they need a clever defense. Which may not be coming, since the billboard attack first started in September in California, which should have been plenty of time for their strategists and creatives to get something out there.

The Ethics of Walmart and Ice Cream: Celebrating the Holiday of Tuesday

Walmart has a new ad campaign that I don’t admire. The theme of the campaign is that they sell ice cream for such a low cost, that you can serve it to your children whenever you want. Even to celebrate “today, the holiday called Tuesday.”

In other words, if you don’t buy your children ice cream regularly, you are being penny pinching. Don’t neglect the kids–buy them ice cream.

What about the parents like me who don’t think children should have ice cream on a daily or even weekly basis? Not because of cost, but because of health. With childhood obesity the number one concern for most pediatricians, I’m not comfortable with Walmart’s pitch.

Marketing is a powerful medium. The messages that we marketers create and promote can be very persuasive. As marketers, we need to follow our own moral standards and ethics. As consumers, we all need to objectively assess the marketing barrage that is the 21st century, and vet the validity of the messages for ourselves.

 As a consumer, I’m not buying Walmart’s guilt campaign. And I feel bad for lower income parents who might feel worse about themselves as a result of this messaging. As a marketer, I’m uncomfortable they would sidestep a major national health issue in favor of revenue. Even popsicles would have been a better option than ice cream, but squirt guns, watermelon and sunscreen are all evocative of summer family fun that would aslo have worked. They are just not as expensive or as unhealthy as ice cream.

Fattening American children to fatten their own wallets. Does it outrage you?

By the way, I’m not the first one to comment on the ethics of Walmart and ice cream: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/wal-mart-serves-free-ice_b_209335.html

The Importance of Personal Branding

There’s a fabulous article from Wharton on the importance of personal branding and the role of social media.

Clients, family and friends have all heard from me why I think it’s important:

1.) For most people in our evolving society, there is not a clear delineation between family, friends and business. The minute you become friends with a colleague and introduce them to friends outside the office, you’ve started the meld. How many friends or relatives have given you a business or a job lead? How many relatives or friends have you hired? (This also means it’s important to have consistent personal branding. You can’t think that your LinkedIn network won’t see your MySpace page. Be as professional as you need to be everywhere!)

2.) Life isn’t as static or stable as it used to be. My father had two main employers for his career, and now is self-employed. I’ve had multiple employers, and now run my own business. That’s just a shift from one generation to the next. Now look at at the economy. In this economic turmoil, I know several people who’ve had more than one job in the last 12 months, and many more who have struck out on their own as consultants or business owners. Using your combined networks of family, friends, and professional acquaintances is essential. Personal branding helps your family and friends understand who you are professionally. Personal branding helps potential employers or clients understand you more quickly.

The Wharton article brings up some of the fears I hear the most about social media. But some of their concerns are addressed with the new privacy tools added to social media sites. If you are just getting started, expore your privacy options. If you have established accounts, look into it–you may have more options than the last time you adjusted your settings.

However, the professors who address the fears admit that they are using social media. For them, the downside is offset by the benefits.

But don’t take it from me, the marketing executive. Read what the academics have to say.

Brand Favorites

As a marketer, I’m a bit cynical about marketing. As an example, I didn’t watch television for ten years–I know how insidious a medium it is.

I’m just as cynical about brands. Or maybe I just have really high expectations. I’ve been polling marketers lately on their favorite brands. What do they, as marketers, completely give in to, knowing that they are letting themselves succumb to the persuasiveness of marketing, the power of branding?  Some of the answers are here on LinkedIn: http://jijr.com/X2V.

Being fair to all my polling respondants, here are a few of my favorite brands:

Henry Lloyd. Excellent foul weather gear that endures years of hard wear, and company has excellent service for repairs or replacement

Ray Ban. I used to wear their sunglasses exclusively, and if I ever had a problem, they sent me a new pair.

Maui Jim. My new Ray Ban, and they are stepping up to the plate with quality and service.

Patagonia. Excellent, stylish products (for getting sweaty) that hold up well after intense wear. Like the first two, they have excellent customer service standing by their products

Volvo. I used to love it but now it’s Ford. Not sure what to do now …

Mercedes. I loved the campaign about how long people have had their cars. I remember vividly the couple that had bought their car in Europe, toured on vacation there, shipped the car home, and have taken every vacation since in their car. I’ve never had one, but since Volvo has defected, this may be my replacement.

Matthew Weller. Our local farm stand. He is the brand, and he is so good at it. Genuine nice guy who keeps customers coming back. Gives my son a lollypop, talks about boating with me, and baseball hats with my husband.

Safeway. Clean store, good food quality and choices, competitive prices. But the customer service at our local store is excellent. Once you ask a question, you never walk alone. The checkout people remember you, and they’ve even run after me in the parking lot if I’ve forgotten something.

Emerald Nuts. I loved the creativity and wackiness of their web site and their ads, but I’ve never bought them or eaten them.

The Amazing Race. Yes, I watch tv now. My husband and I think we’d be a great team. Not only do we turn our own life occurrences like trying to reseat a chair or drive through Naples, Italy into challenges, but we do them while keeping our children happy. Can’t you tell we’d be a shoo-in? However, the current show is putting me off a bit. It’s one thing if the contestants choose to wear their own skimpy togs, but forcing them to cavort on a gym mat in an ill-fitting white, somewhat see-through leotard or run through Vladivostok in their underwear is a bit demeaning.

Did you notice how many times I wrote “love” while talking about these brands? That’s a beautiful brand result. I hope my clients say they “love” working with me! (Anyone?)

Share your own favorite brands … but please include why you are drawn to them–that’s more interesting than the brand itself! And thanks for reading!