The Buzz Forge

bigbuzz September 9th, 2009

I noticed this headline this morning In Advertising, Stupidity Can Win You Awards mainly because it fits my attitude toward most advertising. I’ve been in one form of media for over 25 years, add an additional 15 if you count growing up with a career radio dad. I hate to say it but over those years advertising has made virtually zero gains.

I’m talking about the presentation, the message offered to the audience. Of course we’ve seen advancement in the delivery methods and the number of ways to reach the public, I was faced with a 4’ x 5’ ad for Mt Dew in a frame zip tied to a fuel hose as I filled up my car the other day.  Is that an advancement?

We are each bombarded with 5,000+ ads each day it’s too bad they are mostly garbage.

What is it that makes ads garbage. On the larger stage, that of national and international campaigns we too often run into creative’s with clout. These are well known names, award winning teams, who value the awards and recognition but too often forget the purpose of the ads. On the local stage we run into uneducated sales reps who do what everyone else does, over worked copywriters and designers who crank out one stale ad after another. Both are often faced with know-it-all clients who dictate what is included in the ads and spreadsheet management that sees spending too much time on creative as counter bottom line.

An additional for better ads is the pressure for status quo. If their ad does not sound like, look like, feel like their competitors, and everyone else’s, the belief is that it is not good. Poop!

Ads can be creative but the creative can’t distract from the client message and not sell the product. Remember the “Dogs Love Trucks” campaign for Nissan, or was it Toyota, I don’t remember. It won awards. It was cute. But nobody cared and truck sales took a dive.

Ad development does not have to suck life out of a bottom line. When done well ads will increase the bottom line by keeping clients and gaining more.

If you are a local ad rep learn, read, write, design, practice.  Become the person known in your market for great creative and happy clients with growing businesses. The time you spend learning will pay off hugely.

If you were wondering about the stupid ad and didn’t follow the link here it is. It’s tasteless and insulting to New Yorkers and everyone in the US.

WWF stupid ad

• Advertising in General
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jeff September 2nd, 2009

That’s the headline in an AdAge article today. The reason…Companies Aren’t Social by Design.

As a test we’ve been playing with Twitter and other social sites exploring aps and looking into who is utilizing them and who. We’ve seen professionals promoting their services well, Socially Fresh for one, and MANY spamming everyone with get-rich-quick programs.

Scammers, gray and black hat users are often new adopters. They learn the boundaries of a service by pushing ’till they get punished then walk the line.

If companies want to become more social, at least in their online marketing, it’s time to look at those who are playing in the social arena not just assign a cubical dweller to learn on the go.

• Social Media
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jeff September 2nd, 2009

I wonder how many great coaches were great players.  I’m not one to follow any player, team or sport closely enough to answer this. In football I can list a few who I believe were some of the greatest coaches; Lombardi, Shula, Landry, perhaps Walsh and Parcells. I’m sure there are more but my question is Where are the any stars as players?

Here’s a key point for up and coming managers to remember…Great managers are rarely excellent at the things they manage.

My first management opportunity came at 30. I stunk. By age 32 I was above average. At age 35 I had become a decent manager, at least I believe so. The key came when I accepted the fact that I could not do everything. I was not good at everything and was not the best at most things.

I am far better handling 10 things at a time than one. There are too many details to deal with in the one. I learned and accepted that my detail abilities were not my greatest talent. One of my soccer coaches once told me “You’re not the best player we have but you see the field and how the game is developing quickly and can put the ball where it needs to be better than the others.”

Once I accepted my limitations and focused on my talents it all came together. I surround myself with detail people, those who love to handle the i dotting and t crossing.

If you are the star seller in an organization and have aspirations for management think about your skills and your managers skills. Look at what your manager deals with day to day. Are they the things you enjoy?

We often see VP of Marketing or VP of Finance people elevated to President or CEO only to crash. We forget that they are the VP of Marketing because they are excellent at Marketing and relating to the people in the Marketing department. They don’t relate to penny pinchers. They don’t handle HR or company PR well.

Great coaches, great managers, generally are not star players. They have broad talents rather than highly focused ones. They have high assist numbers and low scoring stats. They relate to teammates better than cameras.

Great managers are rarely excellent at the things they manage.

• Proverbial Other
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bigbuzz August 28th, 2009

Survey: Women More Pessimistic Than Men on the Economy

Does that surprise anyone?

According to the survey results, 55% of women expect to spend less in the next 60 days, vs. 37% of men. And 41% of women expect to spend less on household essentials in that time period, up from 34% in April.

The recent survey by Performics I believe states something we all recognize. As marketers we often want to spend money on surveys to justify our positions to clients or make our point more prominent when all we have to do is look at out own household and that of our friends. It’s the same way many of us go about marketing our clients products, telling the public that they need more-bigger-better when in actuality we, as consumers, as a nation, need less.

That will surely piss a few people off, perhaps some of my clients, but it’s true. The consumer economy we have experienced has brought us to a point of drastically needed change. We won’t become the industrial giant that built the country but the consumer economy has run it’s course and the times they are a changing. Marketers and clients alike must realize this and adapt now or die.

What are we looking at here? As I see it we have begun a consumerism reversal. People are less secure in their jobs and are cutting back. They drive less, are more interested in fuel efficient vehicles, are spending more economically in their food choices, clothing travel and accessories.  Businesses who realize this and start providing goods and services that help people save will prosper. Those who continue to offer Keep Up With The Jones products will find themselves wondering what happened (the exception is ultra lavish targeted to the ultra wealthy. We’ll address that another day).

The marketers who speak to consumers in a truthful manor presenting a valuable product, will find themselves inundated with client request.

The fog is lifting  and consumers are now recognizing the difference between a want and need. And even though wants will exist they have changed.

Consumer confidence will change. It is changing but it’s leading us down a new path…an old path, one we’ve seen recycled over and over in history. Be aware of that direction and lead the way. This will not only produce a profitable company but a stronger economy.

• Proverbial Other
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bigbuzz August 10th, 2009

About 1997 I began asking my radio clients “What’s a customer worth?”

It’s one of those questions every business owner and manager should know the answer to and a question every advertising and marketing professional should ask.

Few had and answer other than “What do you mean…I’m not sure.” or “ $58.76, pointing to the last cash register receipt.

Wrongo! Think long term. Think a life time of doing business with that customer. If your typical customer spends $58.76 with you each month he’s worth $681.12 per year. If you keep that customer for 10 years that’s $6811.20 if he spends the same every month and you never up sell him.

Here’s your assignment:

What is your average monthly ticket per month? (months total sales / # of sales)

Ex: $63,836 / 1542 = $41.40

What is the average life of a customer? Do you have customers return often over a long period of time or do they come and go like the wind? For our example let’s use 3 years and they visit once each month.

Ex: 36 months x $41.40 = $1490

Each customer is worth $1490 to you.

Ah but what if that person tells just one other person about you. That person’s value just increased. And what if that customer stayed 51 months or spent an extra $2 each month?

Or what if you upset that customer and they leave after 23 months or tell others not to shop with you?

You can see the variables that can effect the value of a single customer and the prosperity of your business.

For now start simple and do the math. What is a customer worth to your business?

We’ll delve into this deeper in the near future.

• Advertising in General
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