The World’s Best Brand and It Doesn’t Advertise

Imagine that. Today’s news from research firm Millward Brown’s Brandz study showed that the company with the best brand on earth, the one with the most recognition worldwide, was Google.

Yes, Google. The company that does the least amount of advertising of any on the list. In fact, the article in Advertising Age even states that “Despite doing no visible consumer advertising, the search giant repeats as this year’s most powerful brand…” Truly, this is a company that understands the power of public relations and its role in brand management and development.

Now, before I ruffle the feathers of friends or others in the ad industry, I should note that Google is the only “brand” listed in the top 10 that does not advertise. However, each of the top 10 receives so much coverage that it’s hard to imagine a true need for advertising, except to support its ongoing PR efforts. (more…)

Billboard Advertising 101

Having an education is great and reading lots of books and articles is great too. However, sometimes just being sensible is enough to get the job done.

My thoughts for this post come after the thousands of miles I’ve driven on freeways going past billboards that are, at best half thought out. Billboards should be the epitome of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).

Ever driven by a billboard at 65 mph (or here in Utah, 85 mph) and seen a billboard that was intriguing but didn’t leave you knowing what it was for? How about a billboard that insisted that graphic content was key and consequently used what appears to be a bold 72 point font for the contact info? How about a billboard that was so full of text you couldn’t make sense of it? If you’ve answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you’ve seen a poor example of a billboard.

So with that in mind, here are my top 6 keys to good, successful billboard design:

• Remember that your audience is traveling at 65 mph or faster — their attention span is limited.
• Get to the point, think sound byte-sized copy.
• Billboards can be works of art, however, that’s not their end purpose, use design to enhance readability and ensure the message is delivered successfully.
• Never forget contact info. Your billboard does you no good if I don’t know whose it is, or how I take action. Using an appropriate or custom Web URL or phone number can be very effective. (This also provides a way to track the effectiveness of the billboard.)
• Don’t play “Where’s Waldo” with your billboard. I shouldn’t have to search for the gist or message of your billboard (remember rule #1).
• Don’t be afraid to hire a professional. It may cost you $$ to do so, but imagine what it will cost to design an ineffective billboard (it’ll be like flushing money down the toilet).

Of the billboards I drive by on I-15 here are a few that are good examples:

• AT&T (or is it Cingular?)
• University of Utah medical services
• Blue Boutique
• Cream O Weber

I would list the billboards that don’t do it right but they just don’t stick in my mind nearly as well, imagine that!

Seen any good or bad billboards lately? Share pictures or sponsors in the comments.

Mobilize the Penny Pinchers

Talk of a recession is not going unnoticed by the average American. We already seem to be staying home, driving less and cutting back on things like entertainment, food and travel. The government’s effort to curb this prediction is to offer the individual economic stimulus package, giving about $1,200 per couple. While exciting on the receiving end, I am interested to see if this one time “gift” is really going to get us out there buying any of the great new products marketers are ready to launch.

When consumers are pinching their pennies, what is the best way to introduce a product they don’t really need? The answer maybe found in a simple marketing strategy that has fallen by the way side in the last 10 years.

Coupons. Coupons, Coupons, Coupons.

A recent study from ICOM Information and Communications says that of the more than 1,500 survey respondents, 67 percent said they were much more likely or somewhat more likely to use coupons during a recession.

Picture this, Suzie Homemaker is frustrated with her broom and dustpan. She has seen several commercials for the brand new Swifter Vac, II. She wants to try it but an additional $25 or $30 to her grocery bill will put her over her tight budget. Next, factor in a $5 off coupon sent to Suzie because she opted in to receive weekly emails from P&G. You now have a much better chance of getting Suzie to invest in your new product. Also, you can track every step the coupon makes, evaluating along the way if the strategy is working.

Bottom line, let’s mobilize the penny pinchers. Let’s give them a reason to buy our new product or service. There is no need for manufacturers to send out more coupons. They do however, need to focus on sending them to the right individuals and maybe consider extending expiration dates.

Borrowed Thoughts from Small Agency Diary

In catching up on other industry-related blogs, I’ve neglected to update The Betty Factor. My sincerest apologies; a real update is coming soon!

So! In the meantime, I want to highlight a blog post I recently read written by Jennifer Patterson over at Small Agency Diary that really taps into small agency culture through a story about — of all things — a squishy carpet.  It’s a testament to the career path many  us have chosen and I just wanted to share! I’ll check back in soon.

There was a time at the agency when the floor squished as you walked from reception into the kitchen. The squish eventually migrated from reception to one of the offices and soon became a sort of character in the office. People would come in and ask “What’s the squish-factor today?”

When the squish was vacuumed out, we lost more than a water-logged floor. We lost a part of our culture.

This sounds absurd, but anyone who works at a small agency will know this to be true. At a small agency, we’re used to communing with the elements. Those little inconveniences are part of day-to-day work life. At a large agency, these inconveniences are efficiently handled — there are plans, there is a person whose job it is to deal with the squish. At a small agency, you just keep squishing along.

We never really mentioned the squish to outsiders. After all, no client wants to hire a (literally or figuratively) sinking agency.

But I am here to say the squish is worth something.

Small-agency culture is all about creativity and spontaneity. On a given day you deal with the highest altitude issues of client’s brand and business and the lowest altitude issues like what kind of coffee to buy. But getting your hands dirty with the in’s and out’s of your own business is a great reminder that your client’s business is also about the elements.

Family of Ten Makes the Most of Product Placement

There are ordinary products that, when touched by the right spokesperson, are plucked out of obscurity and land center stage in the average consumer’s mind. Fueled by this hope, many marketers use product placement in reality TV or even “fake” reality TV shows to launch new or existing products into the limelight.

Examples that come to mind for me include the red Coke glasses on the judges table during American Idol, The Office character, Michael Scott’s love for Chili’s or even references to Fragments.com on BRAVO blog post by Alex, one of the new Real Housewives of New York City.

A recent Ad Age article suggests that product placements are “spectacularly average”, often becoming additional clutter the average viewer has learned to tune out. One quoted ad executive said,

“The best opportunities [for product placement] in reality shows are where real people in true-to-life situations are interacting favorably with the product. If the person is an expert and has credibility in the field, the integration is even stronger.”

After attending two baby showers and a book club this week where the majority of the conversations revolved around the budding TLC show Jon and Katie+8, I would say companies jumping on board opportunities with that show are set to make some extraordinary impressions.

Whether the Jon and Kate are headed to Hershey Chocolate World, the American Girl Factory in NY or just putting the DuraBibs on the multiples before each meal, this show is a perfect opportunity for viewers to see an already entertaining family interact favorably with products. Not to mention that any woman who can keep track of that many toddles becomes an “expert” in the field of parenting to me.

Regardless, I am interested to see how many woman are taking notice of the nanny services Kate is using or the restaurant the family chooses for Jon’s surprise birthday party; I know I am!

Perserverance, Laser-sharp Focus and a Good Idea = A Winning Combination for Jason Alba, Creator of JibberJobber.com

I love a good story, and to me a good story can become great when it

*  Involves a real person,

*  Who overcomes adversity and/or long odds, and

*  Achieves success.

Jason Alba fits into the great story category.

Without going into all the details, Jason’s a tech guy with an MBA under his belt who found himself out of work in January 2006. After several months of unsuccessfully looking for ajob to meet his skill-sets and needs, he decided to branch out onto his own by launching JibberJobber.com — a Web-based solution to help others out of work manage their job-seeking efforts.

Picking up on repeated questions he heard about the benefits (if any) of LinkedIn, the social networking site, Jason wrote a book entitled simply enough, I’m on LinkedIn. Now What? Recently he published a second book: I’m On Facebook. Now What?

By themselves, these are positive steps in what sounds like a decent personal turnaround story. But Jason’s taken his entrepreneurial efforts beyond the basic “woe is me” story to the “I’m doing pretty okay now” with his fairly tireless self-promotional efforts.

His most recent hit? A very nice 3-25-08 write-up in U.S. News & World Report entitled: “Boosting Your Sales with Social Networking.”

As proven by the USNWR story (as well as by inclusion in stories from The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and others), Jason has now transformed himself into a sought-after expert — in essence, a brand unto himself.

Congrats, Jason. That’s good news for you, and for those seeking your advice/assistance as well.

ZDNet’s Krigsman is Correct: I.T. DOES Lose Credibility by Speaking in Technical Jargon

Michael Krigsman, driving force behind ZDNet’s IT Project Failures blog, nailed it yesterday when he wrote, “Is IT becoming extinct?”

In one of seven points he makes as to why he believes that the average Information Technology department is headed for death’s door, he writes,

“IT loses credibility by speaking in technical jargon . . .”

Michael Krigsman, “Is IT becoming extinct?” ZDNet, 3-23-08

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Green Marketing, No Really!

I’m a fan of doing right by the environment. In fact, I even believe in green editing. But seriously, taking care of the world and the resources we’ve been given is something that we’re starting to understand.

Now, there’s this new “fad,” we call it ‘green marketing.’ I call it a fad, not because I think it’s going anywhere anytime soon, but because I think that companies are jumping on the bandwagon like this is some new idea.

Honestly, how many companies do you think had some sort of recycling program in place in the last decade? How ’bout a watercooler before all the water bottles? Granted, people are certainly finding more creative ways to go green, but the point is it’s not a new idea, we’re just finding a way to capitalize on it.

I came across a truly green piece of marketing collateral, the folks at Honda actually sent out a mailer that can be planted. That’s right, it is a flower in an envelope. I have to take my hat off that this is quite possibly the most creative ‘green advertising’ I’ve come across.

Add the targeted component that this letter was sent to customers of Honda’s lawn and garden products and I believe you have a real winner here. Honda is putting their money where their mouth is and I don’t believe being ‘green’ is a fad to them.

What do you think? Is Honda doing it’s part or appeasing the activists?

Better Media Coverage Requires an Ongoing PR Effort

In a relatively short item posted a few days ago on the Wall Street Journal’s Independent Street blog, Kelly Spors outlines five insights from a small business entrepreneur on “How to Get Killer PR” (see http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2008/03/13/how-to-get-killer-pr/.)

Specifically, Spors relates how she had “encountered” Sarah Endline several times during a period of a few months, which led Spors to wonder if such encounters were merely the result of a shrinking world or perhaps the workings of “killer PR?”

Although curiosity may have killed the cat, it led Spors to track down Endline, the founder and CEO of Sweetriot (a five-person, NYC-based company) for the story behind Endline’s PR success.

Of the five PR tips that Spors gleans from Endline, I particularly appreciated Tip No. 5:

Devote time. If you think PR will help your company, make time for it. It can’t be just something you try to squeeze into your free time between sales meetings. It takes time, persistence and strategy. 

To me, this is a great insight for any executive, business owner, entrepreneur or marketing type to take to heart.

Politis Pointer: 

I have found that it is VERY RARE INDEED when an organization or individual can come up with that one killer PR, marketing, advertising, promotional, direct response or interactive execution that launches a service, product, person, company or idea into eternal orbit.

Successful marketing communications campaigns are (in my opinion) successful because

• They are campaigns, and
• The people pulling the marcom levers recognize that consistent marketing communications success requires consistent effort.

= = = = = = = = = =

One more thing. Having a topnotch PR agency on Sweetriot’s side doesn’t hurt either, as it’s apparently currently using (or has worked with) NYC-based fashion/celebrity PR  shop Think Public Relations. 

Considering Online Video? Keep It Short Stupid

A recent survey by eMarketer found that online video viewers prefer shorter video clips. What does that mean for marketers? Well, for starters consumers either have shorter attention spans or less time –  or both.

This is a concept journalists have gotten for a long time –  and we here at Politis pride ourselves in — KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). This is the same idea and is becoming more and it is becoming more critical for marketers to either grab and keep the audience’s attention or get the message across faster. In this info-saturated world where everyone is vying for attention, we must be smarter and more in touch with our audiences.