The Coca-Cola Company

We’ve discussed cross-promotional marketing at length and these days; it’s more abundant than ever. Coke’s holiday cans, though controversial, were a nod to their partnership with the World Wildlife Fund. Coinstar now waives fees when you cash in for a Starbucks gift card or Gap e-certificate. And airline miles add up quickly and can be used, not only for flights, but online purchases as well! It never ceases to amaze me how effective marketing truly sets your brand apart and cross-promotional marketing, when done correctly, can be extremely effective.

At a recent trade show, I was blown away by the difference between the obvious industry leaders and everyone else. The leaders knew exactly how to get your attention (and isn’t that what marketing is in a nutshell?) Their message was clear, consistent and concise. The takeaways weren’t gimmicky and you left feeling informed, a cross-promotional success story!

A truly effective marketing campaign requires a solid strategy and integrating cross-promotional marketing maybe just the ticket!

What are your thoughts on cross-promotional marketing?  What effective cross-promotional strategies have you found?

Lady Gaga's Meat Dress

The word ‘different’ has somewhat of a derogatory undertone. By definition, it means, “not the same as another or each other; unlike in nature, form, or quality” and “distinct; separate.” In school, being different meant you stood out and were, therefore, a target of endless mockery and bullying (unfortunately, this seems to be more of a problem today than ever.) But forget what you think you know because in marketing, that IS the whole idea… And it’s called product differentiation.

The concept of differentiation is pointing up what it is about your product or service that sets it apart from the masses. With so much competition in every industry, it is important to figure out why you are unique, OWN it and SELL it. What are you offering that is so special? If you can’t answer this question, you better take a step back and re-examine your offering. Another way to gain valuable insight is by administering a brand perception study, whereby a survey is used to analyze the perception of your product in the marketplace. Here are a few common examples of differentiation points:

• Price
• Quality
• Features/Function
• Availability

And countless others remain. Once you’ve determined your point(s) of differentiation, select the target audience to which that distinction appeals. For example, if cost is your differentiator, target groups who value saving. If it’s quality, seek out a selection with more disposable income that value high-end items. It is important to understand your product delineation first and then target your market, rather than the other way around. If you select the wrong group, you will likely waste valuable time and resources with little to no ROI.

I like to use the example of the “Pop Princesses” Brittany, Christina, Ke$sha, Lady Gaga… And, of course, the Queen herself… Madonna. Industries unto themselves, they’ve had to find something that differentiates them. Whether it’s noticeable to the layman or not, there IS something unique about each one of them … Be it Brittany’s media stunts, Gaga’s meat dress or Madonna’s constant reinvention of herself; they’ve found a way of appealing their brand to a certain audience… all the way to the bank.

What sets YOU apart?

Ah, the Super Bowl… That exciting time of year when the NFL’s greatest athletes face off for one of television’s biggest events – and, perhaps, the only time commercials are as highly anticipated as the main affair (even more so if you’re not a football fan;-) So how did the commercials stack up against the game this year?

The general consensus seems to be: football good, commercials bad. The ads (at roughly $3 million for a 30-second spot) tried too hard to be outrageous and memorable, and in doing so, missed the mark entirely… Or did they? Personally, I wasn’t blown away by any ad in particular, although a few of them did make me laugh out loud (see Alicia’s Top 3) But what I DID remember, in discussing their overall lack of impressiveness, were the BRANDS themselves!

Have you ever experienced this: you’re having a conversation with a colleague about an ad you just saw and you vividly remember everything about the commercial EXCEPT the brand? The argument is further developed in this post by Social Spread Media and I do agree to some extent. However, considering one of the most important messages in advertising is brand recognition, I must say, they were done rather well. So, perhaps $3 million doesn’t buy what it used to or maybe we just expect too much out of the Super Bowl ads altogether. But either way, the commercial event of the year left much to be desired, whether you’re a fan or not;-)

Alicia’s Top 3

What was your favorite (or least favorite) 2011 Super Bowl ad?

Do you ever wonder why you’re thirsty for a Coke after watching American Idol? Or suddenly have a hankering for an Oreo during a Friends rerun? This is the power of product placement; popular shows which draw thousands of viewers promote goods as part of the plot…  Notice as your favorite characters talk on iPhones, drive Fords or email from HP laptops. Coincidence?! I think not…

Also known as embedded marketing, this tactic became popular in the 1980’s. With the rise of DVRs and demise of commercials, marketers rely now more than ever on product placement as a form of creative advertising. In fact, 90% of people with digital video recorders skip TV ads altogether.  Most commonly placed products are automobiles, consumer electronics, computers, and tobacco. The queen of product placement herself, Ms. Carrie Bradshaw of the HBO series Sex and the City, touted almost every one of these categories and single-handedly increased Jimmy Choo shoe sales for the duration of the series.  Although, the series itself, as well as Apple, are rumored to have not accepted payment for placing certain products.

Its effectiveness is often assumed as the quantification methods used to track brand integrations are variable; however, it stands to reason products placed strategically in popular prime time series are likely exposed directly to their target audience.  So next time you turn on the big game, curl up for movie night or tune in to your favorite sitcom – notice what sports drink the players guzzle, what getaway car the villain drives and what cereal the family has for breakfast.  It may surprise you that they all have a brand name.

What are your thoughts on product placement?

Earlier this week we talked about brand names, and how often they are used as opposed to the “generic” or real name of the product. We posed the question, “What’s in a brand”. To continue on this conversation, let’s talk about the actual branding of a product.

In an article from the WSJ, Rosalind Resnick discusses what makes a brand work, and her advice is simple, and brilliant

“My advice: Be the brand. Now, I’m not advising you to put on a cape and crown and belt it out on cable. What I am suggesting is that you figure out what your company stands for and start leveraging your personal brand. Once you get past your fear of making a fool of yourself, the rest is pretty simple”.

People know the heads of most of the large brands because they represent the brand – they are as much a part of it as the product they represent. In addition to the 5 she mentions (Barbara Corcoran, Donald Trump, Mario Batali, Richard Branson, Cesar Millan), there are hundreds more (Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Steve Ballmer…). Each of these people has become the number one fan of their brand – and represents what they sell and provide with pizazz. They aren’t screaming from hilltops and working gimmicks, but they are certainly the companies #1 cheerleader. They are their brand, and even when they have passed on and the brand is in the hands of someone new, they will still be known.

Are you your brand?

Sometimes a brand name can be so effective it actually becomes synonymous with the product itself. Look at your shopping list – I bet you have at least one brand name written down in lieu of the actual product. Take Kleenex® for example. I bet you don’t even call them tissues anymore… Its just “can I have a Kleenex?” Are you only willing to buy the Kleenex brand of tissue or would you settle for generic? When you order a Coke, are all other sodas off limits or would you purchase Pepsi in a pinch? Other common examples include Q-tips® (cotton swabs), Post-it® (sticky notes), Band-Aid® (bandages), Xerox® (copier) and iPod® (mp3 player).

Branding (even some of these products) has been around since the Industrial Revolution. Even cattle are branded to distinguish them! Through a brief survey (conducted mainly of my close friends who humored me for this post) it appears the brand name itself winds up in the shopping cart, at least most of the time. Personally, my brand loyalty ends as soon as a competitor’s coupon arrives in the mail… And those store brands; while they may not look as pretty, really do perform equally, if not better than their pricier counterparts. However, if a company has been savvy enough to create an iconic brand, you can bet customers ask for it by name!

What other products can you think of that are synonymous with their brand name?

The UPS whiteboard ads were awesome…clever, creative and always interesting. The branding was great, and it really provided a clear picture of the services they provided and why they were so much better. Compared to their competitors, they were definitely much more effective with their branding.

But, just like so many companies who feel they need to stay ‘fresh’ and ‘interesting’, they re-branded themselves. And have completely lost me. Their new tagline is “We Love Logistics”. And, their new commercial is a song explaining what logistics is and why they love it…set to the tone of “that’s amore”. Sounds pretty obnoxious, right? It is. But that isn’t my issue – my issue is I have no idea what logistics are, despite the song trying to explain them. So to be fair, I decided that maybe I am the only person on the planet that doesn’t know what logisitcs is (are?) so I looked it up.

Just in case you are wondering too, the definition of lo·gis·tics [ lə jístiks ] (noun)
1. organization of complex task: the planning and implementation of a complex task
2. movement management: the planning and control of the flow of goods and materials through an organization or manufacturing process
3. organization of troop movements: the planning and organization of the movement of troops, their equipment, and supplies

Once I looked it up, I understood the choice of the word…kind of. I mean, technically it makes sense but it seems so complicated. So I did some more research on their site…and discovered they have an entire section dedicated to their “new logistics” and what it means. After browsing through, looking at what they have shared and reading some stories…it is clear what they love is organization…unfortunately, this is something this marketing campaign seriously lacks.

UPS, your logistics suck.

Image from the Adage story (click image for link)

Just 7 years ago, a “social media mob” didn’t exist, a tweet was a noise that a bird made, and liking something meant more than just clicking a button…

With the expansion of social media tools like twitter, facebook, yourtube and foursqaure, businesses have an amazing opportunity to great killer offers and really grow their following. But with that new ‘power’ comes some serious pitfalls.

Most businesses are going to type something wrong and send it out through twitter. Or misstep on Facebook and have their audience see it. Most businesses will have to deal with an error in judgment. And for some, like the ones to the left, that error could cost them millions.

But, what I find interesting, and what I think we need to focus on is the fact that although these companies did have a huge failure in front of the entire world, they are still alive and kicking (for the most part) and there are only 37! Think about how many big brands are really on twitter and facebook – a solid majority of the Fortune 1000 – and yet only 37 brands have committed a failure so great they would be put into this list? In addition – almost all of these 37 brands are still alive and kicking, despite their failure in social media. And some, like Dell, have turned their social failure into social success and have become a representative of how to use social media properly.

This tells me one very important thing: Social Media can be problematic, but the good outweighs the bad by a long shot. The number of success stories that social media provides for brands all over the world is incredible. Just ask any one of your followers and they can probably tell you a handful of brands that are seriously succeeding with it.

Just because you fail once in social media doesn’t mean you can’t save your brand.

Want to see the complete explanation of the screwups by company? Check out the slide show from SMI:

We’ve talked a lot about brands, how they choose to promote their products, and how to avoid brand nightmares. We also covered the (partial) re-branding of GM – or at least what we think they should have done!

Most companies will be lucky, they will never have to go through the process of a complete re-brand. But, there are a few who will have to…and then there are those that choose to. Of course, re-branding an entire company is not easy, and should be given the time and respect it deserves.

Which is exactly what Gro Baby did when they re-branded everything and became GroVia. Their story is explained in detail on the Fox Small Business site, but the most important details of how they made a successful re-branding happen are below:

• In the earliest stages, brainstorm. Ask yourself these simple questions: Who are we? Who are our customers? Where is our company going?
• Be absolutely certain you are working closely with an intellectual property attorney while choosing names. You are going to want to choose a name that can be registered.
• Enlist the help of a PR firm starting in those early stages, and start planning how you are going to launch your rebrand to the public.
• Know your competition. Does your rebrand set your product apart from others on the market? This is your chance to update your image; don’t try to fit in with your competition–take a risk!
• Budget accordingly. Rebrands are expensive, no matter the size of your company. Be certain you have allotted enough for a strategic public relations campaign (from press releases to interviews and events) and aggressive marketing following the launch of your brand.

Have you ever had to re-brand your business? What other suggestions do you have?

50 years ago, if a new product was introduced into the market, it was advertised through the newspapers, magazines, word of mouth and radio ads. Ad directors needed to be creative – really think through exactly what they were putting to paper, since it wasn’t cheap to run ads. They included all the details they could – people actually read the ads, curious to see the new specs and why they should be interested. These ads sold cars! I remember talking with my grandparents about old advertising – and how much they loved it. It was true – the companies put everything on the line, and their eggs in one basket. They needed these ads to work or they weren’t selling their products. They also remember the door to door salesmen – everything from the vacuum cleaner to steak knives, brought and demonstrated in home to show the public just how amazing the products really were. It was a different time for ads – and branding.

Now, we have TV, the web, social media and advertising has changed dramatically. While print advertising still exists, it has become less and less prevalent as traditional media slows. It is still necessary for branding, but print alone will not market your product. You now need to add in television, radio, social media and new technology. Of course, this is a double edged sword. While it does allow companies to diversify their marketing and  increase the touches to the customer, it can also allow for more branding problems and the need for a better strategy. You can’t just jump on twitter and be a success, just like facebook and blogging won’t save a bad business. True branding still requires the same thing it did 50 years ago – a good message, quality products and a strong brand.

Which brings me to today’s question: If you were to release a new product into the market today, how would you do it? Which tools would be the most important? The least important?

Share your thoughts!