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June 2005 Archives
June 27, 2005
Worst Agency Reel
Posted by Brad Abare | Filed under: Business
The folks at Grey were voted to have the worst agency reel by their industry peers in a recent Adweek survey. So Grey fired back with a full-page ad, solid black background on the inside back cover of a recent issue with the domain address: www.worstagencyreel.com. AdFreak.com opined a bit on this as well. Grey did a great job of turning its negative jab into a publicity punch.
Is there anything (negative) your clients or constituents know about you that could be converted into bigger recognition or awareness? I am not arguing for the "all publicity is good publicity" model, but there are certain paradigms or perceptions people have that may not be right, that if taken further can be made right.
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June 24, 2005
Word of Mouth in the Driveway
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Marketing
A recent study showed that when one of a person's 10 closest neighbors buys a car, the chances of that person buying a car of the same brand within the next week and a half jumped 86 percent. That's some amazing word of mouth, and it's not just keeping up with the Jones'. The trend happened even more with used cars than new ones.
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June 23, 2005
The Power of Words
Posted by Brian Zopf | Filed under: Marketing
Words are powerful. Really.
I learned this lesson early on as an English major in college. The pen is mightier than the sword, I believe, for two reasons:
1) It has the power to sway the minds of those holding the sword—and therefore is the stronger of the two.
2) It is both our link to the past and the key to our future.
Continue reading "The Power of Words"
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June 22, 2005
Get Away: Idea Vacation
Posted by Brad Abare | Filed under: Productivity
Recently, the entire Personality™ staff took a full day away from the office and spent it a few miles south of here on the coast in a muggy motel meeting room. The atmosphere was distant from the daily, yet conducive to creativity. We intentionally brainstormed our agenda at the beginning of the morning, which got everybody on the same page real quick. We were able to tackle our top five brainstormed priorities, which meant everything from our structure to our future were discussed.
Our last "big idea" day like this was just over a year ago, and from that meeting came several ideas that are just now being realized which is exciting! Many companies and departments do stuff like this, but many more probably don't do them enough if at all.
Besides work, what's stopping your team from getting away?
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June 21, 2005
Marketers are Storytellers
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: E-mail Newsletter
This originally appeared in our e-mail newsletter. If you're not getting it, you can sign up today.
It's all about the story. So says marketing guru Seth Godin in his latest book, All Marketers are Liars. And if you think about it, it's true. You don't need to read the latest book to realize it.
A few years ago my wife and I bought our first new car together, and we encountered a few stories in the process. Some were better than others.
Continue reading "Marketers are Storytellers"
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June 20, 2005
Designing Business
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Design
Fast Company devoted their June issue to design, including a focus on Proctor & Gamble. They embraced design and share tips on how to incorporate design into the workplace culture.
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June 17, 2005
Steve Jobs: "Find what you love"
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Creativity
Steve Jobs, the quirky head of Apple Computers and Pixar Animation gave the commencement address at Stanford University. He tells three stories, including how he dropped out of college, how he was fired from Apple, and how he faces death.
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June 16, 2005
For Breakfast: Bagel & a Marketing Lesson
Posted by Brian Zopf | Filed under: Marketing
I recently went to a coffee shop (which shall remain nameless) and ordered my usual early morning bagel. I specifically mentioned "eating in" and spelled my name twice for the cashier. (OK, So "Brian" isn't quite as simple as "Ed" or "John," but then it's not exactly "Xavier" either. "Mmmhmm. I see. Your name is Bill. And would you spell that for me please?") You've probably already guessed where I'm going with this...
Continue reading "For Breakfast: Bagel & a Marketing Lesson"
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June 10, 2005
Magnetic Advertising
Posted by Lisa Pileggi | Filed under: Advertising
While driving on the freeways this last week I noticed numerous trucks, cars and SUVs with self-advertising magnetically attached to their back-end and sides. A large majority of the vehicles had text that was not legible by any passing car, even in stop-and-go traffic.
Note to any company doing magnetic signage: Maybe use your company name and logo, key words of what your company does and a phone number. Grab the driver's attention, but be careful with being too wordy—you may be the cause of an accident.
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June 8, 2005
Cremation Society's Advertising Doesn't Make Sense
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Advertising
The other day I noticed a banner ad for the Cremation Society of South Carolina. The ad simply gave their name and the slogan "Cremation... It just makes sense." (see image above).
That's their pitch? It makes sense? Every product or idea or service makes sense to the person advertising it. How about giving people a glimpse of why it makes sense? Some of the reasons they eventually give if you click on the ad do make sense (simpler, easier, environmentally friendly, cheaper), but few people will ever get that far.
Saying it just makes sense assumes the people you're advertising to already agree with you, and if they do, why are you advertising in the first place?
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June 3, 2005
Cake Marketing: Presentation Tastes Better
Posted by Shawn Stewart | Filed under: Marketing
I'm getting married in August—Yeah! And of course Val, my fiancé, and I are right in the middle of all the details. Last week while I was at work she and a friend went cake tasting to see where we would get our overpriced dessert. She had two appointments, one after the next. After the first tasting, Val gave me a call to tell me how it went. She was pretty much sold, good cake, good price, friendly owner. She felt the next appointment would be a formality.
Off she went to the "formality" appointment. An hour and a half later I got a call from Val laughing on the other line. She went on to explain the difference in the experiences of each shop. She had her mind all but made up going into the second tasting, and the second bakery swayed her opinion dramatically.
How?
Continue reading "Cake Marketing: Presentation Tastes Better"
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June 2, 2005
Youth Specialties Shuts Down & Offers Paper Doll Contest
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Marketing
One of our clients, Youth Specialties, a company that provides youth ministry materials and training, is shutting down. For a week. They're in the midst of some big company-wide changes, and sensing the general worn-down state of the staff, they opted to give their people some needed rest before the next big push.
The entire company is taking a paid week off—not vacation or sick time—just a free week off. Sometimes your company's personality comes out in how you treat your employees, not just your customers.
In other Youth Specialties news, they've created some, shall we say interesting videos. It's a part of their Paperdoll Video Contest advertised in the recent magalog we designed for them. You can print out your own paper dolls and accessories online, make your own video and enter the contest. Somehow, this seems like exactly the kind of thing youth pastors would do.
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