Frequency vs. Reach in Radio (and Television)

From the Prospective of a Non-Media Specialist

When I first started in radio as a weekender at a small station, a grizzled old pro, who had been around many blocks many more times than once, told me to take care that the needle on the tone arm didn’t inoculate me and turn me into a lifelong radio junkie. I should have listened. Truly, the medium is a seductress.

Yes, back then we played records. (Dude, how old are you?!) The needle – actually, it’s also called a stylus, but “needle” fits the story better – is the thing that runs in the grooves of a record and is connected to a tone arm, also called a pickup arm. You can barely see it over my right arm. (Holy cow! Was I ever that thin?)

Working in advertising the last several years has given me a new perspective on the medium I first fell in love with, even before I got my novice ham radio license. As a kid back then, there was just something indescribably magic about the disembodied voices that came at me through the very tiny speaker of my Sony transistor radio.

But I digress.

Before moving to the creative side of advertising, as an AE, I occasionally suggested media schedules for clients.

When I ran across the above image, I wondered how, faced with the decision, I would buy radio today, especially with a limited budget.

First of all – and mind you, I’m no media placement specialist by any stretch, nor do I want to be – I believe I would choose frequency over reach. And if I were working with a modest-ish budget, I think I would buy just the one medium, and probably just one station. No media mixing here with limited dollars.

In my early years as a DJ, I heard the salespeople talking about ROS buys. (Do those still exist by that name?) That stood for Run of Schedule, which meant a client’s commercials would run all over the clock, day and night, but mostly at night when inventory was tight. (Truth is spoken here.) Not a good plan for a scant budget.

So, yeah, I’m staying with the idea that frequency trumps reach. Wait. Don’t get me wrong. Reach is important, but, as you know, only if frequency is present.

Based on the fact that every radio station has an audience of some kind in the morning, I would buy the highest rated station I could afford and be the sole sponsor of a listener-attentive feature such as either the seven-thirty or eight o’clock morning news EVERY morning, five days a week. If not one of those two, then some other feature on that station with high listenership that aired at the same time every day in that time period.

Boom! That’s it, my entire budget.

One might ask, “What about all the other people who aren’t listening at seven-thirty or eight in the morning?”

Well, I don’t get them. But at least, albeit with a limited budget, I’m going to burn my client’s name, recurring offers, tagline and brand into the brains of those same people who are in the same place at the same time doing the same thing every morning in that important day part.

Two things are important here: 1) sponsorship of a listener-attentive feature, 2) specificity of a locked-in time daily. Surely, this will cost more than even specifying a day part, but it’s the best bang for the buck I can think of.

After all, success in advertising is cumulative, right? And…did I just hear the word consistency?

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

Afterthoughts: I’m not even totally sure why this post took the direction it did. I found that photo and, for whatever reason, started thinking about radio and reach/frequency. On a rare occasion – as with this one – I title my posts after seeing where they’re going.

Though I can’t imagine any radio station is having trouble selling morning news and other daily fixed-time features, maybe this bit of a ramble will give someone some ammo for getting a premium price for such listener-attentive features as morning news and sports. 

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Alfred Hitchcock, forgive us the parody of your movie title, The Man Who Knew Too Much.

There’s no doubt.  Your client’s knowledge of his/her business is vital as a marketing partner in the commercial-making or print-ad-designing process.  Client input is the backbone of the creative process.  BUT…when it comes to writing advertising copy, the customer (client) is not always right.   (Big gasp from the audience, followed by, “What?!  How dare you?!”)

Why would we even say such a thing?  Because of a little problem the Brothers Heath (Chip and Dan in Made to Stick) call The Curse of Knowledge.

Basically, The Curse of Knowledge means that just because a speaker, business owner, presenter, salesperson, etc. knows something, s/he assumes that everyone (the audience, listener, viewer, reader) knows it…and that it is important to them.

Something that’s an everyday part of your client’s world might be totally arcane to a prospect or customer.  Or worse, totally unimportant to a customer in making a buying decision.

In his book, The Secret Formula of the Wizard of Ads, Roy Williams gives a great example of this: “A few years ago, Pennzoil spent millions of dollars shouting to America, ‘Pennzoil is the only leading brand of motor oil to meet the 1996 S.A.E. requirements two years early.’”

You can bet the house on one thing: the client wanted that in the copy

Well, “…meeting S.A.E requirements two years early….” sounds like it might be a good thing, but who dah heck cares?  More important, did that little piece of knowledge (something that was a big deal to Pennzoil) have any impact on sales.  Probably not.

We would be more impressed with a benefit-filled tagline like: “The oil proven to make our car run longer.”

Hey, it’s great to please a client with copy she or he likes, but as advertising professionals, it’s not so pleasing when that client later looks at us wondering where the results are.

In the advertising business, we all earn our bones when we successfully massage a client’s basic idea into copy that really sells.

The takeaway: Clients know a lot about their businesses, but when it comes to writing copy that sells, they can know too much.  That’s The Curse of Knowledge.  Focus a client’s offers, tagline and copy so that it answers their customers’ foremost question, “Why should I care?”

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

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It’s just human nature.

When we mere mortals read or hear something that meshes with our belief system, we almost always automatically hold that something as truth.

Well, I read something the other day that totally agrees with Rhino Writes doctrine…AND it is, in fact, truth.

How’s that for a spot of myopia?

We received an excellent e-mail (blog) called Drew’s Marketing Minute written by, we assume, a guy named Drew.  (Hey, we’re nothing if not perceptive here at the Rhino Writes Institute of Anti-Mumbo-Jumbo.)

The title of the post was Actually, It Isn’t All About You.

Here’s a quote from the post:

“…all too often, brands and companies … behave as though it’s all about them. They talk about themselves incessantly and they behave as though they are a gift to the people they’re supposed to serve.”

And then this quote that’s so totally in line with Anti-Mumbo-Jumbo dogma that we’ve practically canonized the concept.

“If you aren’t talking about what really matters to your customers [clients] and potential customers [clients] — odds are, you’re talking about yourself.”

So…check your website, your sales materials, your presentation method, etc.  Are they all about how great your agency or broadcast operation is…OR are they – from the top – all about the client?

We talked about that here.

Even our humble website home page tagline adheres to the all-about-the-client attitude.  And we’re not marketing geniuses.  Are we?  Wait.  Let me rethink that.  Hmmmm?  No, we’re not, unless the definition of geniuses is hard workers.  But we’ve learned a couple of things about human nature.

Clearly, at some point, you want to make known your core competencies, but the lead in your collaterals, website and presentations should always be all about the client or prospect.

Things like your station’s coverage, or your agency’s media buying, in-house production, etc. are mere features when compared to the real benefit you offer the client: success.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

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We lost an American icon about this time of year back in 2009.

That thought occurred to me during the airing of one particular commercial in Sunday’s Super Bowl.  I voiced that sentiment to my son Daniel, who was watching the game with me.  He agreed.

From rural markets served by small stations with antennas in the middle of cow pastures…to major-market 50-killowatt giants, his big, syllable-perfect, pause-punctuated delivery, born and bred in the heartland, echoed across America for 15-minutes at noon local time, with shorter versions mornings and inspiring stories of achievement usually late afternoons.

Whether or not you agreed with the political bent of his commentary mixed with news, you must agree that his one-of-a-kind style was compelling and his manner mesmeric.

It was great to again hear his inimitable voice in this Super Bowl commercial.

My son and I agreed that in all likelihood there will never be another Paul Harvey, intoning in exacting enunciation, “Hello, Americans.”

But, an American icon?  Yeah, I’m staying with that.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.  Gooooood……day.

-LB

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This year the Super Bowl 60 and 30-second high rollers apparently want to get their money’s worth by pre-releasing their mega-bucks offerings on YouTube and wherever they can get free exposure before the big game.

For example, this 10-million-dollar investment from Volkswagen.  Yeah, 10-million.  Not sure if that includes airtime or not, but probably not.

Does that live up to VW’s simpler entry (Darth Vader kid) last year into the annual mine’s-bigger-than-yours-one-upmanship commercial competition that happens to take place during a football game?

Hey, the Super Bowl commercials are fun to watch, whether they sell anything or not.  And this year’s VW commercial made me feel good as I watched it.  BUT, it didn’t change my mind one way or the other about making my next car a Volkswagen.

However, I’m guessing that in the end, direct, quantifiable ROI doesn’t matter to VW or any of the other contestants in the Monday morning water-cooler sweepstakes.  Just like the people who can afford to be at the game, it’s all about being there…right?

Besides, all the hoopla is good for advertising generally, whatever the playing field.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

Here’s more on the making of that VW commercial from USA Today.

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Focus vs. Frankenstein’s Monster

Trial attorneys know it: if you give ten facts to a jury, you’ve said nothing.  Remember OJ’s trial?  If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.  A very focused message.  Everybody got it.

Often, what starts as a simple, attention-getting, on-target message with solid benefits and value, can turn into something else.  As parts are added by this person and that, the simple, targeted message often evolves into something very different: a directionless, cobbled-together Frankenstein’s monster.

We’re not talking about simple improvements and tweaks to the message, but, rather, the addition of other facts unrelated to the core message.

And, it gets most important (and delicate) when the concept makes its way up to ultimate authority: the client.

One of the biggest and, at times, most diplomatic tasks writers and AEs have is keeping the client on message and focused.

Of course, the client, being at the tip of the spear, often has many really great ideas.  It’s just a matter of making sure a script or concept focuses on ONE great idea at a time.

The sharper, more focused the message, the greater the chance it will reach and resonate with potential customers…then sales will happen.  That’s what everybody wants.

Say, for example, you’ve come up with a very attention-attracting concept that’s all about the new <auto make and model> at <dealer> with .9% financing.  After establishing that lead, you tout the benefits of owning that model at .9%.  Point-nine-percent financing is the lead and the focus of the message…first, last and in between.

Other models with less attractive financing rates are not mentioned, nor are used cars, nor the service and parts departments at that dealership.

Click here for our focused script based on the above.

The takeaway:  Unlike Frankenstein copy, the sharper, more focused the message, the more likely it is to cut through the clutter and stick in the prospect’s mind.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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Know the number-one reason why people buy a product, service…or, for that matter, why a prospect would go with an ad agency or broadcast organization?

Value?  Yes.

Benefits?  Yes

Quality?  That, too.

All of those things add up to the real, one-word reason people frequent a business or buy a service or product: confidence.

Think about the last purchase you made.  You were confident you were getting a great deal.  Or confident that the company you were buying it from would stand behind it.  Or that the product or service would do what you wanted and do it well.  Or…all of these.

Confidence in what you’re selling, Mr./Ms. Agency or Broadcast Person, is … well … everything.

When it comes to writing copy, making a new-client pitch, or closing the deal, this quote from a recent blog by Roy Williams of the Monday Morning Memo really says it:  “Selling is a transfer of confidence. The seller must transfer his or her confidence in the product to the buyer.”

Holy shnikies!  That’s both simple and profound.

Hence, in reality, selling is a relatively instant osmotic passing of a person’s (copywriter’s, presenter’s, salesperson’s) confidence in what’s being sold to the buyer, bestowing assurance that by acting, s/he will have a better life, be stronger, enjoy happiness, feel fulfilled, experience greater beauty, etc. … or sell more widgets.  (See.  We, too, can complicate simple things with babble, just like the pedantry from some of the purveyors of marketing demagoguery today.)

In other words, confidence breeds confidence.  Ah, yes.  Simplicity.

So…there you are, pitching a new client, standing tall, looking the prospect in the eye, smiling, the epitome of self-assurance.  You’re not sweating; you’re exuding confidence from every pore.  Bank it.

One other thought: confidence is born of consistency.  Whether you like McDonald’s or not, you know that a Big Mac in Tacoma is going to be the same as a Big Mac in Tuscaloosa…always.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

Disclaimer: In the last post, we promised to do something with the All Music site (All Music dot com) and TV commercial copy to add clarity to what we think is a totally indecipherable message.  After watching the commercial again and studying the website, I’m only beginning to slightly get a handle on what is blazes All Music is about.  I know it’s all about music.  But what do they sell, if anything?  How do they make money, if any?  I’ve had a couple of my sons with young, agile minds look at the site and they’re almost as clueless as I about what dah heck this thing is.  If we, through some effort, can’t totally understand what they offer, how much less is the casual visitor going to get it?  Maybe we’ll figure it out over time.  (Or maybe I’m just a dumb@#*, which is not only possible, but highly probable.)

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If you’ve been even an occasional reader of this blog, you’ve no doubt seen us regularly get up on our soapbox about two topics as relating to commercial messages: clarity and simplicity.  Actually, those two fundamental elements of great advertising are pretty much the same.  We talked about that in an earlier post… here.

Name any great advertising campaign (by great, we mean effective) and I bet you a ten-pack of crunchy, soft or mixed tacos that simplicity and clarity are at the very root of its success.

That’s why when we see a commercial like this one that is running repeatedly on ESPN and other networks today, we scratch our heads or other body parts and wonder what in blazes they’re selling.

We must admit that it did make us curious enough to go to their website, which added almost no instant clarity to the message.  So…one might say that making us curious is the goal of the commercial.

Really?!  A company is going to spend that much on media in hopes it will make someone curious?

There’s another word that goes with clarity and simplicity in great advertising: instant.  Look, in an advertising message, you’ve got nanoseconds to capture a viewer, listener or reader’s precious attention.  It’s either instantly clear what you’re selling…or it’s fluff.  After that, either someone is interested in your message…or s/he’s not.

Okay, let’s look at a different commercial that ran a bunch of times during the holidays.  In the opinion of the staff (ah, that would be me) here at the posh but not overly ostentatious Institute of Anti-Mumbo-Jumbo high rise, this commercial leaves no doubt what’s being sold and why anyone should care.

Nothing here about a guy with cue cards chronicling the history of tools.  No guessing.  No burying the lead.  We know what the product is and the benefits of having one.  Oh yeah, that’s the other word we’re always yacking about here: benefits.  Why I should care is totally answered.

Well, because I’m frequently out in the garage trying to not to cut my fingers off with my table saw, I was interested.  I’m a tool nut.  But a spouse could understand that was something her husband might want.  It was loaded with clarity, simplicity and, yeah, benefits.

What in the h-e-double-toothpicks is with creatives who think the answer is quite the opposite: obscurity?  It’s as if they’re saying, “Let’s make the audience figure it out.  Make em think.  Yeah, that will be cool.”

For your client’s next campaign, think like Steve Jobs.  He understood benefits…and clarity…and simplicity.  Who else could have come up with something so brilliant as “10,000 songs in your pocket?”

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

Next post we’ll rework the All Music commercial copy and website as we think it should be.  That’s only fair.  If we’re going to dis it, we should put our message where our bad mouth is…right?

(DISCLAIMER:  Since I believe in Made in America, this YouTube video is possibly a bit of a fly in the ointment for the Sears tool shown in our example.)

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Do Facebook Likes Translate to Actual Sales?  That’s the title of an article I just read in the American Express Open Forum online.  It summarizes a report by Alchemy Social, a Facebook marketing developer.  Read the entire article here.

After discussing Alchemy Social’s number-crunching findings in terms of frequency of “fans” visiting a site as opposed to non-Facebook users, and the ROI on the investment in fans, the article informs us that if “you type ‘Facebook Fans’ into a search engine, you will return an endless number of companies offering to sell ‘cheap fans,’ or fans at very low rates.”

Holy freakin’ cow!  Now you can buy a list of Facebook fans for your company?!

What’s more, these purchased “fans” might be just anyone of any demographic, people who might not (probably do not) fit an advertiser’s (your client’s) core demographic.  Yeah, those yayhoos are going to deliver lots of sales.

Or course, actually selling something IS the point of all advertising…right?  Sometimes we wonder.

In a recent study by Forrester Research called Will Facebook Ever Drive eCommerce? as reported by Courtney Drake (here), we find that something as old-fashion as “an e-mail marketing campaign boasts an 11-percent click-through rate and 4-percent conversation rate.  Facebook only has a one-percent click-through rate, with two-percent converting to actual customers.”

Frankly, one percent click-through on Facebook with a two-percent conversation rate would be better than it actually is by an order of magnitude.  Many reports have the Facebook click-throughs at one-tenth that, with a dismal conversion rate.

The way the average Facebook hawker explain likes is this: If I see my friend likes a product or service, I’m going to be much more likely to like it.  Then my friends will see I like it and they will all like it too.  Right.  Nice plan.  The only problem is, all this viral liking of products and services is not going on, at least not with real likes.  And on the rare occasion when it does, the translation to actual sales is minuscule.

The takeaway:  Use Facebook; it can’t hurt to be there.  However, using it to the exclusion of a substantial part of a client’s budget and time invested going to proven media would be tomfoolery.   Just remember Pepsi Refresh.  They’re still picking up pieces of the wreckage of that ill-fated experiment all over the social media landscape.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

This being the 28th of December, this is probably our last Rhino Writes blog of 2012.  So…from high atop the posh but not overly ostentatious Rhino Writes Institute of Anti-Mumbo-Jumbo high rise, let us now wish you a huge and prosperous…

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Just as we were settling into the spirit of the season here at the posh but not overly ostentatious Rhino Writes Institute of Anti Mumbo Jumbo high-rise, an AdAge article inspired us to leap into the benefits-vs.-fluff fracas one more time this year.

The article by Al Ries (co-author of such books as Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Marketing Warfare and others) says something that should be read and absorbed by anyone involved with advertising on any level.

The piece – Too Many Marketers Are Going Soft — Emotional Attributes May Give C-Suite the Warm Fuzzies, But Do Nothing for Sales (please read it here) – has three salient sentences that sum up Ries’ message: “While soft, emotional slogans might be memorable, they don’t drive sales unless they are also motivational.  It’s a common disease. Major corporations around the world are spending huge amounts of time and money thinking up soft, emotional positioning slogans”

At Rhino Writes, we go a bit further by saying that a tagline should reek of benefits, not just sound — to echo Ries — warm and fuzzy.  Otherwise, it will neither drive sales nor be memorable.

People remember advertising messages that benefit them!  Period.

Marketers used to understand this.  Apparently, that’s just too simple a concept today.  It’s as if a slogan or tagline must make a listener, viewer or reader look skyward and ponder it. Yeah, that’s going to happen.

Regrettably, the soft branding “disease” is not limited to slogans.  As we’ve discussed many times before (here, here and here to indicate a few), entire commercials are dedicated to warm and fuzzy — mainly fuzzy, as in vague — messages that leave one almost clueless and certainly unmotivated.

The takeaway: Al Ries puts the kibosh on soft-branding hooey in this article.  Again, it’s worth the read and is just plain common sense.  Which is what marketing is: offering straightforward benefits and value.  That’s what people act on; that’s what they remember.

Can’t even guess how many times we’ve talked about that this year.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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Well, the engagement, conversation, touch-the-customer hokum just keeps getting piled higher and deeper.  Now it’s reached a new level of nonsense.

I recently read an article from a Linked-In Leadership e-mail titled, The End of the Expert: Why No One in Marketing Knows What They’re Doing by Dorie Clark.  Regrettably, that title is becoming truer and truer, but not for the reasons stated in the article.

Mr. Clark quotes Clark Kokich, chairman of digital agency Razorfish: “It’s less about advertising and more about creating an experience that transforms what it means to be a customer of a brand.”

That’s business as usual for the digital demagogues; however, this next quote from the article takes the touchy-feely twaddle into the ozone:

“So how do you begin to ‘create brand experiences’ instead of relying on past methods of advertising? The first step, says Kokich, is to ‘ask a different question.’  He advises companies to pull together a cross-section of company and agency staff – ‘everybody that’s responsible for building anything that touches the customer’ – put them in a room and ask: ‘What do people hate about doing business with us, and can we use digital to fix it?’”

What a crock of unmitigated horse hockey.  Ninety-nine-point-nine-nine-nine percent of the time people are not thinking about what they hate about a business or product.  It’s worse than that: they’re not thinking about the business or product at all.

Seriously, one would need to be an nth-degree narcissist the believe people spend two-seconds thinking about his/her business or product other than when they need it…or when they hear about a great opportunity.

And what a bunch of bunk this whole conversation thing is.  I have never received one notification on Facebook in which a friend wanted to engage me in conversation about a product or service…ever!  And how many people actually converse with a brand?  Do you know anyone who actually does that?

Who would take the time to do any of that??!!  Yet, businesses are shelling out big time to “create a customer experience” or find out why people “hate” them.  Holy crap!

The takeaway:  People think about and buy products and services when they need them or when they are reminded of benefits and value…otherwise, they’re nowhere to be found in their thoughts.

We buy Campbell’s Soup because Tim Allen’s voice convinces us of its benefits during the cold Eagle Mountain, Utah winter.  Then, we buy it where they’re offering a good value.  Other than that, soup is not on our A list of things to think about.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

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My son Daniel, who’s also in marketing, and I were watching a football game the other day when a commercial very similar in style to this one came on the screen.  (I couldn’t find the actual commercial on YouTube.)

Afterwards, Daniel said something like, “Did that commercial make you want to do anything.”

Well, it did make me wonder why AT&T would spend the money on the production and airtime for a commercial that motivated me to do absolutely nothing.

Hey, it’s a pretty commercial, even interesting in its your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine-what’s-this-about beginning.  But it makes us think that a more apt title for this post would be, How Does Effective Advertising Really Work.

To answer that, I defer to Bob Hoffman, the Ad Contrarian, who says in his e-book of that title, “We don’t get [customers] to try our product by convincing them to love our brand. We get them to love our brand by convincing them to try our product.”

Yep.  That puts to rest all this crap about branding and other exercises in which advertising messages exist in space without being anchored to benefits and/or a value message (price).

Here at the posh but not overly ostentatious Rhino Writes Institute of Anti-Mumbo-Jumbo high-rise, we have developed three axioms we live by:

Don’t bury the lead.  (Hit the one biggest selling point right off the bat and throughout.)

Don’t lose the message in the method.  (Don’t let gratuitous production effects and imagery cover or distract from the real message.  We talked about that here.

Don’t leave out the benefits and value message.  (Why a customer should want the product or service, most effectively accompanied  by a savings message.)

We believe following these will ensure copy that sells, all of which our commercial sample at the top of this post failed to do.

Since we’re quoting the Ad Contrarian today, here’s one more: “Advertising is most productive when it is focused on changing behavior, not attitudes.”

In other words, getting a longtime Old Spice deodorant user to change his behavior and try a new Gillette deodorant is much easier than convincing someone they should use deodorant in the first place.  Hmmm?  That example stinks.

A commercial could show 25-seconds of a guy standing by the seashore with the wind in his hair and a girl snuggling next to him followed by a 5-second tag with the image of a stick of Gillette deodorant.  Buy some deodorant, get the girl.  Maybe.

Or, we could give the existing Old Spice deodorant user an opportunity to change his behavior by offering a Gillette no-stain, longer lasting, fresh smelling deodorant stick that, to boot, saves him a buck-50.  Hey, we can rationalize that.  Why not?  After all, deodorant is deodorant, right?

That’s much easier and definitely more cost effective for the advertiser.

The takeaway:  The answer to the question posed by the title of this post is simple. Advertising motivates people to do something — buy a product or service — because it offers benefits that make them stronger, more capable of doing the job, smarter, happier, wealthier, prettier, handsomer, less malodorous, more comfortable, highly satisfied, more socially acceptable, etc., etc. … AND it comes with a superb value offer.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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It’s the Benefits [and Value], Stupid!

During a strategy session of Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign in which many ideas were being throw around the room, including some all-over-the-board ideas from the loquacious Clinton himself, James Carville famously jumped up and wrote on a whiteboard: “It’s the economy, stupid!”  Clinton rode that one, simple concept all the way to the Whitehouse.

Imagine Carville – the Ragin’ Cajun – delivering the title of this post in his Louisiana accent.

There has been lots of discussion about the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of social media as an advertising tool.  Facebook seems to be desperately trying to justify itself as an advertising money maker to its new stockholders.

That thought came to the fore a couple of days ago when we read an article by Jack Neff in AdAge:  At a Crossroads, P&G Melds Past, Present in Business Model.

This is what really got our attention: “P&G Global Brand-Building Officer Marc Pritchard has spent much of his first four years as chief marketer talking about purpose, digital and social media….Now, he’s talking a lot more about the age-old P&G business model, mass awareness, product-superiority claims and a brand-management system that, while it’s evolved, works much like it did in days of yore.  The focus on the business model, he acknowledges, is a response to a “tough year.”

The Rhino Writes translation:  We’ve been trying this social media thing and have been highly involved in digital advertising.  That hasn’t worked very well, so now we’re going back to the basics of mass media advertising, touting product benefits and value.  Things that have worked in years past for Proctor and Gamble.

To that we say, well, yeah!

Then there’s a report on an advertising survey by Ann Lewnes in AdAge:  Marketers Rate Below Politicians, Bankers on Respectability Scale.

Gee, thanks tons.

But what people think of us marketing and advertising people was not the part of the report we found most interesting.

This was:  ”It’s notable, though, that the study’s findings suggest that the ads that are more traditional — and less able to track for engagement using digital tools — are actually the ones consumers say they prefer.  The study found that people prefer to view advertising in their favorite print magazine (45%) or while watching their favorite TV show 23%.  Only 2% stated that they prefer to view ads via social media….”

Again we say, well, yeah!

The takeaway: As Proctor and Gamble correctly, in our opinion, heads back to the future by reinstating greater emphasis on their benefits/value message via mass media, those of us who work in and see the benefits of television, radio, print, direct mail and Google search every day can only say, well, yeah!

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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Saving that Wavering Account

In our last post, Client Relationships Part 1 — Feeling Increasingly Distant from a Client?  Fix it. (here), we talked about the importance of marketing partnerships vs. simple client relationships.

Developing marketing partnerships with clients is the strongest preventive measure we can think of to ensure that clients don’t stray in search of greener pastures.

This post, however, is about what to do if the horse is already heading out of the barn.

In a word, change everything.  Okay, that’s two words.  But what better way to keep a client who’s looking for something different.

A quick story.  I had a college roommate who had been dating a young lady for several months.  He really liked this girl but her interest in him seemed to be on the wane.  Perhaps he had become too comfortable and was in many ways taking her for granted.  He also put on a few pounds and became somewhat inattentive to her wants and needs.  For her, the bloom was off the rose.

To his credit, he realized this and when they parted ways for summer break, he decided to make the most of the time.  Working part time in the morning, he devoted his afternoons to getting in shape and working a second job at night so he could buy a new car and clothes for his now more svelte physique.

When he met her at the airport late in August, he was a different guy.  He knew it and, more important, she immediately recognized it.  I think they have five or six kids now.

The point is that he made an-all-hands-on-deck change.  That’s exactly what a broadcast organization with a disenchanted client or an agency with an account in review must do: change everything.

What’s everything?  Develop dynamic new creative, change the way the client is worked with, maybe change even the person(s) working with the client, get the company principal(s) more involved, create a superb marketing plan and, most important, present how you will become marketing partners with the client for his/her benefit and growth, as described in the last post.

Some years ago, I was present as a non-participant at a presentation by an agency at which I was involved in the development of creative.  The agency was the incumbent for an account in review, a very profitable account.  Other than the creative, I had no input in the planning of the presentation.

After the agency principal set things up, the remainder of the presentation was turned over to servicing.

Before I continue this story, let me say that my part, the creative, was not what I would do today.  I would take a much different approach now.  It was off target.  And, beyond that, some of my whopper mistakes in this business over the years make what ensued next as if totally inconsequential.  I tell this story only because it antithetically illustrates the point of change everything.

In essence, the next presenter said something like, “You have kissed us. You know us. And we realize you would like to kiss other girls.  (Meaning other agencies.)  We know there are other agencies who want this account.  But we hope you will stay with us.”

Again, that’s just the gist, not a direct quote. At the end of the presentation, the people representing the client were given wax or plastic lips as part of the “kiss” theme.

In other words, you know what you get when you deal with us.

Well, the account was in review for a reason.  And I’ve got to believe it was not so the client could get more of the same.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  There were many other elements to this presentation, including a strong internet proposal.  But, what I didn’t see was a revolutionary all-hands-on-deck, look-at-us-now-baby presentation.  Regrettably, the agency did not retain the account.

The takeaway: When faced with a wavering client of an account in review, do the kind of makeover my college roommate did: change everything.

Finally, a shout-out for marketing partnerships with this David Ogilvy quote from Confessions of an Advertising Man:  “I have always tried to sit on the same side of the table as my clients, to see problems through their eyes. I buy shares in their company, so that I can think like a member of their family. When I take a total view of their business, I am better able to give them sound advice. If they would elect me to their board of directors, it would be even easier to identify myself with their best interests.”

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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Feeling Increasingly Distant from a Client?  Fix it.

Relationships with clients: they’re not what they used to be.

What developed on a world-wide level with the big agencies (and their massive holding companies) has trickled down to regional and even local agencies and broadcasters.  We’re talking about the lack of loyalty and the fading of lasting relationships with clients.

This came up in an article by Nina DiSesa, a longtime career creative and now a consultant.

Although her article — Dear CMOs: Where is the Love? — is a somewhat nostalgic look at things as they were through the eyes of a creative, it offers food for thought for anyone who’s currently involved in the agency or broadcast business.

This quote from the article is way too true:  “Back in the day, you really had to mess up badly and consistently to get fired. It didn’t happen very often because there was trust and loyalty and history and, forgive me, a lot of love going on.

“Today, this kind of relationship is rare…. This lack of solid relationships leads to rampant insecurity and makes it harder to do great creative work, harder to take brilliant risks and virtually impossible to accept failure on even the smallest job.”

We’re going out on a limb here, but perhaps it’s not faltering client relationships that are at issue.  The real issue behind the lack of client loyalty — what Ms. Disesa refers to as the promiscuity of “clients changing partners frequently” — is not the absence of relationships, but the lack of the right kind of relationships.

Traditionally, agencies and broadcasters win clients and then work hard to service those clients.  This traditional servicing includes those frequent what-did-you-think-of-the-new-spot,  how-are-sales, what-would-you-like-to-do-next, let’s have lunch calls and/or visits.  Sure, you’ve provided the client with a thorough how-to-work-with-us book and have been the epitome of regular contact.

But, in today’s world and in spite of hard work, this surface-skimming type of relationship is woefully cursory and shallow.  Regrettably, being buds and working hard on the basics is no longer enough in many cases.  We need stronger cement.

Hence, we chime in again as if a voice crying in the wilderness, as if Diogenes with flickering lamp looking for someone, anyone to heed the clarion call to marketing partnerships.  Sometimes we wax … waxy.

Let’s talk about two scenarios: 1) the elements of a marketing partnership when it’s up and running, 2) the imminent loss of a sweet — make that, vital — account because of a lack of a marketing partnership.  One of those is about preventive measures; the other is about all hands on deck in an effort to save the day.

We’ll discuss one this post; the other next time.

By definition, a marketing partnership is the total emersion by an agency or broadcast organization into the business of a client.  As if a partner. A place at the table.

In it together to win it.  No secrets.  No glossing over.  Knee to knee.  Good and bad up front and on the table…always.  Trust … an absolute must.

Sound like a pipe dream?  Not really.  And…it’s great work if you can get it.

So, what are the mechanics of a marketing partnership?  Here are the broad strokes.

Foremost, in person or via GoToMeeting, Skype, phone or whatever, the agency or broadcast AE (and, hopefully, agecny/broadcast company principal for big accounts) must be present at every weekly (or whenever) meeting of the client, whether that be a single point client or a group of clients.  Because you’re a partner, this is natural and all is open to you.

Even if your client is in a different city or state, showing up on a regular basis is important.  If the client is a group of businesses, showing up at the various locations is necessary.  Boots on the ground.

Be a constant source of information and ideas about the client’s business.  What’s happening in the client’s industry or issues that affect the client’s marketplace(s).

Be proactive.  As an agency or broadcaster, be the source of new promotions and events.  Never wait for the client to decide what to do next.  Although, that will naturally happen from time to time, as national promotions spring into play and opportunities arise locally.  Even so, being aware of and bringing a spin on that national promotion to the table before the client does is even better.  This brings us to the next thing.

Read what the client is reading.  When possible, know what the client knows when (before) s/he knows it.  Position yourself to receive the company/product notices s/he receives.

One of the most important things you can do to tie yourself to a client is to work with him/her/them in the development of a comprehensive marketing plan, which, naturally, includes you.

Always follow up in writing.  Write e-mails (or other) briefly noting all meetings, events, discussions, plans, etc., etc., etc.  Send it to everyone with an iron in the fire.

NOTE:  If the client has a CMO, proceed accordingly.  Toes can be sensitive.

In all of this, developing great creative that sells is a given.

The takeaway:  Assume that everything depends on creative.  Act as if nothing depends on creative.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

Next post: Saving that Wavering Account.

www.rhinowrites.com

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Guess which part of this headline from a recent Ad Age article made us do a double-take?

Toyota Introduces “Let’s Go Places”

Six Agencies Collaborated on New Tagline

No, it was not the brilliance of the Let’s Go Places tagline, which, to us, seems pretty much par for auto makers these days.

What blew our minds is that six, yes, six agencies “collaborated” to come up with the tagline.  (Fine, they probably have different agencies for different divisions, but still….)  One can only imagine the aggregate billing hours that went into that.  How many millions did Toyota shell out for those three words?

Hey, don’t get me wrong.  Taglines — especially for local and regional retail advertising — are vitally important.  In fact, as we wrote here, taglines are so important they should not be relegated to a standalone throwaway at the end of an ad or commercial, but should be used in part or whole throughout to funnel down to the big tah-dah tagline summation at the end.

But, seriously, I’m thinking any sharp copywriter could have come up with that new Toyota tag line, or something even better.

What would “something even better” look like.  Well, for one thing, at Rhino Writes we believe a tag line should directly or indirectly reflect a benefit.  At least, more than Let’s Go Places does.

We think BMW has it right: The Ultimate Driving Machine. With a BMW you get a real road machine.  That’s a definite benefit.

In trucks, Ford’s long used Built Ford Tough is a winner.  As is Chevy’s Like a Rock. Both speak to the benefits of solidness and longevity.

At first, we were a bit nonplussed by Ford’s general Go Further tagline.  As everyone knows, in terms of distance, one Goes Farther.  But, although they are playing it a bit loose with grammar, when we saw their commercial, we got it.  See it here.

By the way, we’ve never been among those who scoffed at Chevy’s Runs Deep tagline.  That puppy had many detractors at its unveiling.  With Tim Allen’s Hal Riney announcer treatment, it works and it speaks to benefits.  Tim Allen Chevy VO.

The one issue we have with a commercial like this Run Deep example is that there’s not a lot in terms of a reason to buy a Chevy.  The Ford Go Further commercial has the same feel but does a much better job of selling.

So, let’s give the Toyota tagline a shot: Toyota – Built for Your Every Road; Toyota – Taking You Places (a version of Let’s Go Places, but more benefit oriented); It’s a Toyota – That’s the Difference (that reminds me of Honda’s Only a Honda is a Honda, which we kinda like); Toyota – More in Every Way; More Than a Ride, It’s a Toyota; It’s My Toyota for a Reason.

Well, I’m sure you can do better than those quickies off the top of my  head.  And for a lot less than Toyota paid the six agencies who collaborated on their latest effort.

The takeaway:  It’s not important that a tagline be cute or even overly clever, but it must be memorable, relatable, speak of benefits…AND, for local and regional retail, be alluded to and/or used in whole or part throughout the ad or commercial, as it funnels down to the big summary statement at the end…which is the tagline.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

Disclaimer:  My wife likes Let’s Go Places.  Hey, it sounds nice and I can envision Toyota commercials using it, but I’m a retail guy who preaches benefits, even in the tagline.

By the way, the new Toyota tagline is set to debut on December 31st, with the launch of the 2013 Avalon sedan.

www.rhinowrites.com

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You’ve Got One, Quick Shot…Make It Count

Writing retail advertising copy is just common sense…right?  Yes and no, but mainly yes.

Basically, it’s simply a matter of saying the most important thing right at the top that matters most to the target audience.  The slightly more difficult part is making that “important thing” grab and hold the attention of the listener, viewer or reader.

Before I go further, this note:  Compared to time spent in the development of electronic, digital and print creative strategies, I have worked on relatively few direct mail pieces.  That being said, I think there are some basic elements common to all retail advertising.

One thing is for sure, people are just not going to spend a lot of time reading what unfortunately is pejoratively referred to as junk mail…if they even give it more than a glance. You get em right off the bat, or into the circular file it goes quicker than… (insert your own metaphor).

We recently received a direct mail piece from a “fixed wireless” internet provider that left us somewhat scratching our heads.  Perhaps this piece could do a much better job of grabbing targeted attention and selling the product with benefits.

We’ve blurred any identifiers relating to the client’s name or contact info.

First, the back (or the front, whatever).

This is only a guess on our part, but we’re thinking this company has perhaps had some connection issues with customers.  Why else would they lead with Confident Connections and the text below that which references a system-wide upgrade?

But, for a person new to the area, like me, is that the most important thing on that side of the mailer?  I’m thinking the real lead is buried quite a few lines down:  “Broadband Internet plans start at $34.95 a month.”

Combining language from the piece, a stronger headline would be: Get Rock Solid Wireless Broadband Internet from Just $34.95!  That headline is longer, but that’s okay.  Now, I’m somewhat interested.  That headline speaks to me about reliability and price, two things of importance to me in internet service.  I’m willing to read further.

Note: the word “get” in our revised headline is important because it’s speaking directly to the recipient. (The “Confident Connections” on the original piece is just a statement hanging out there and not aimed at anyone.  Also, that headline could refer to a dating service or any other number of businesses.)

Now, a sub-headline:  Better.  Faster.  Uncompromising Connection.

Yeah, I want all of that.

All that other stuff in the six lines of smaller text below the headline should be greatly reduced.  Perhaps to this: “We deliver you a quality wireless broadband installation, including a complete worry-free system set-up at your location to get you up and running with fast, dependable broadband service.  Plus… you get 24/7 support.”

This de-clutters the mailer and makes it about the customer, not the advertiser.  Always give something that yells benefits to the reader. 

The call to action is also missing.  What about this?  Call now for your 30-Day Money Back Guarantee.  Followed by the toll-free number.

The other side of the mailer.

I can see where an advertiser might think it’s a good thing to have a friendly, reliable-looking installation guy on the mailer.  At first glance, however, that could be a real estate guy offering to sell homes.  A potential customer might trash it immediately if he or she is not in the market to sell or buy a house.  Nothing on this side clearly identifies what the mailer is about.

Could there be something stronger to grab me in the milliseconds this thing has to compete for my attention?

We like the idea of having an eye-engaging (but not cluttered) image of a computer monitor or laptop on this side, if for no other reason than to let the recipient immediately know we’re talking about something to do with…well…computers.  That could be clarified by this benefit-oriented headline:  Affordable Broadband Internet that Pushes the Envelope of Technology.  Something like this.

I’m no designer, but you get the point: clean, clear and interesting.

That’s a tease that’s more than a tease.  It speaks to the benefits of low cost and technical innovation (fixed wireless internet).

The takeaway:  At the Rhino Writes Institute of Anti-Mumbo Jumbo, we believe that — as with all good retail advertising — the message on a direct mail piece should clearly and specifically address the product or service and tout benefits to the customer (potential customer) right from the top, the very top, i.e., don’t bury the lead.  A recipient will spend time with a direct mail piece like this only if it immediately grabs his/her attention and speaks to needs and/or wants.  Clarity, specificity and simplicity of the message are absolute musts.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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In part one of this post last week (here), we discussed not burying the lead (go with the big message right off the bat), client name repetition (let listeners know who’s making the offer often), focus (sticking to one single event or offer throughout), urgency (limited-time offers that get people to act), making tag lines part of the copy (not limiting tag lines to a throwaway at the end of the copy).

We continue this week with…

Delivery Style (Tone)

Write copy that speaks to people as if they’re real people with real minds.  Urgency is created in ways other than yelling.  Credibility can be established or lost just in the delivery.  Clearly, you don’t want to be boring with zero excitement, but, on the other hand, too much of this (edited here for length) can be a big-time turnoff too.  These hyperbolic spots start to blur together in mind-numbing fashion as they are tuned out by the listener.

Benefits, Benefits, Benefits (Answer the question, What’s in it for the listener?)

Why should listeners care what you’re writing?  Does what you’re selling change, improve or generally make their lives better and easier?  Will they be happier, smarter, more handsome/beautiful, stronger, more satisfied by using the product, service or business you’re selling?  Then, say so.  And don’t forget to make the benefit(s) irresistible with a value message:  Just  <$ __> through Saturday only. Or… During their grand opening through Friday, buy one devilishly delicious Duncan Deli sandwich and get a second one FREE!  Or…Through Monday, Memorial Day, you can drive it away with incredible 1.9% financing.  Formula:  benefits (what’s in it for the customer) + value message (quality with price) = irresistible offer.  Simple stuff, right?

Humor

Writing commercials that are funny is a very delicate balancing act.  Humor that flops is worse than no humor at all.  And…there are many variables in producing funny radio commercials, including how the talent delivers it.  Underline the word talent because potentially funny copy delivered by poor talent really bites.  The most important thing about humorous radio copy is that the humor NOT become the point of the commercial.  How many times have you remembered a funny commercial, but couldn’t remember what was being sold by whom?  It is important not to lose the message in the method.  Humor must support the sales message, not overshadow it.  E-trade does a good job of supporting their television message with humor.  This one gets right to the message with the humor as a vehicle.            

Web Site URLs

When writing copy in which a client’s website is to be included, drop the www.  Everybody knows that part is understood.  If part of the web site’s URL is an uncommon name, spell the name.  Snerdley Chevrolet dot com – that’s S-n-e-r-d-l-e-y — Snerdley Chevrolet dot com.  That might even be necessary with long established businesses in your market.  Although people have heard a client’s name for years, they might not know how to spell it.  Oppenheimer Optical, for example.  Google can help in this area.  The copy might read…Google Oppenheimer Optical in Westwood.  That search engine will get a listener there, even if he or she somewhat misspells it.

Avoid Overuse of Effects

Many radio commercials today sound like someone is devoted to the sounds effects library.  Wise use of audio work parts for emphasis works well, but a spot full of zings, zaps, lasers, etc. is just downright tiresome.

Locators

Whenever possible, include a locator with (or instead of) the business address:  On State Street right under the water tower.

Mechanics

Don’t write in all caps, except for occasional word emphasis.  Double or 1 1/2 space copy.  Use paragraphs for ease of reading in longer commercials.  Bold and/or underline words that need special emphasis.  Do NOT write copy that uses sped-up, unintelligible disclaimers; they diminish credibility as if you’re trying to pull a fast one.  Write like we speak.  Don’t worry too much about sentence fragments.  Keep sentences short.

The takeaway: Retail radio copy should lead with the client’s hot news, just like a well written newspaper article.  Using simple, short sentences, the writer must make sure the client’s name is used throughout, while focusing on the lead, touting benefits, creating urgency with limited-time offers, incorporating the tag line in a meaningful way…and doing all of that in a very simple and easy to understand, highly pin-pointed message.

Wow!  Is all that possible?  Yes.  Using our fictitious nursery from part one of this post, here’s a sample of some very basic 30-second copy that hits these points.

That little sample is rather straight-forward, no-bells-and-whistles retail stuff, what many would consider as lacking creativity.  But remember what David Ogilvy said: “If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.” 

In retail, sell first, then support the sell with creative elements that enliven the message, but not gratuitous copy just for the sake of unrelated creativity.  

Think this post doesn’t apply to today’s advertising?  Of course it does.  As always, people are motivated by self interest and an attitude of what’s in it for them.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  Altruism is a wonderful thing, but to sell stuff, you’ve gotta give people a reason to buy based on need fulfillment (physical or emotional) and value.

If they’re anywhere close to being in the market for what your client is selling, your copy’s irresistible offer(s) will grab them.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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A great retail copywriter knows his/her job is to sell things: products, candidates, services, businesses — you name it.  Following are some guidelines that will help anyone write retail copy that really sells.

Don’t Bury the Lead

Get right to the single major point in the message.  If everything is half price this weekend at Snodgrass Nursery, lead with that…immediately.  Supporting offers that prove the point and tout why Snodgrass is the quality place to go will follow.  Imagine the first words of your copy are like the headline of a print ad. The next few words are the sub-headline.

Good:  Half price!  This weekend only at Snodgrass Nursery — where your savings grow — EVERYTHING is half-price.  Everything will be sold for 50% off the already famously discounted Snodgrass prices.  Trees, shrubbery, perennials, plants, gardening tools, everything…all Snodgrass priced at one-half off.   (Note: the urgency here is in the message, not in some obnoxious, over-the-top delivery.  More on that in part 2 of this post next time.)

Not so good:  Snodgrass Nursery, serving the planting and gardening needs of Harnett County for over fifty years with plants, flowers, trees, shrubbery and tools, announces a weekend sale.

Name Repetition

In 30-second radio copy, the client’s name should appear in some form or another a minimum of four times; at least six times in 60-second copy.  We do not want listeners guessing where to get the great deals we’re talking about.  Beyond mentioning the name outright, there are other ways to get the business name into the copy that give it extra value.  For example, a local business can claim ownership of a national product promotion by using its name as part of the value offer:  Get Hundley Hyundai’s 1.9% financing on new Sonatas now.        

Focus

Home in on one single event, discount or department only.  For example, a car dealership would want to focus on 1.9% financing on new <model>, not on that plus other offers that are not 1.9%, or on used cars and the parts department.  Hone the message down to a single sharp point that cuts through the clutter and burns in the value.  Stay on message.

Urgency 

Give people a reason to act now.  So-called “branding spots” might make a potential customer feel warm and fuzzy, but retail radio commercials (and retail TV, for that matter) must encourage the listener do something, like — oh, I don’t know — actually go in and buy the offering…today.

Make the Tag Line Part of the Copy

Way to often, a tag line is seen simply as that, an almost throwaway tag at the end of the copy.  Make the client’s tag line mean something in the body of the copy so that everything funnels down to it at the end.  For example: Don Davis Jewelry, the Deep Discount Jeweler.  When the name is first mentioned in the copy it should be accompanied by the tag line.  Engagement ring shoppers, today through Valentine Day’s Day — Thursday — only, a new lineup of exquisite rings are deep discounted an additional 25%!  At Don Davis Jewelry, the Deep Discount Jeweler.  Later in the copy, a specific offer might read something like this:  A flawless half-karat diamond in your choice of settings is Don Davis Deep Discounted to just <$___>.  This client is obviously a volume dealer, representing anything but a velvet glove approach to selling jewelry.  See more on tag lines here.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

Next time…Radio Copywriting, part deux.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  Not!

As an ad agency or broadcast company, if you ever have the opportunity to help name a business, you’re in an ultimate position with that client.  Right from the ground up.

What an opportunity to form a lasting marketing partnership.

So…let’s talk about business names.

The first order of business: apply some common sense.  I see many big — or wannabe big — new companies that have the most forgettable names possible: Ingesis, Ultimax, Retroid, Analtech, Resodade, Syncd-cell, Phuturesyte.

We simply made up all but one of those, but you know what we’re talking about.  You see them everywhere.  We call them nonsense names.

Hey, these are just harmless, meaningless names…right?

Wrong!  They are not harmless if nobody can remember or even pronounce them.  And…who dah heck wants a business name that means nothing?

Most likely, no local business is going to be foolish enough to use an outrageous name like any of those above. But our point is this: a business name should make it clear what the business is about, using common, everyday words in the process.

Clarity trumps coolness and cutesy every time.

Also, using initials for the name of a business is almost as bad as nonsense names. Initials are almost impossible to remember and easy to confuse.  This is especially true when three or more letters are used in the name.

One might argue that IBM AARP, BP, 3M, ESPN, and many, many others are the exception. But who can even estimate the billions these huge companies have spent to burn those initials into the brain?

The same applies for unusual names that have been successful: Google, Yahoo, Cisco, Ikea, Nike, Amazon and others.  Although, done correctly, these can be more successful than initials or unpronounceable names.  But, they’re still risky for local businesses.

Our thought is that when it comes to naming a local business, the more common the words in a name, the better those words describe what that business is.

As legibility is the first rule of print or design, so is intelligibility in a company or business name.

Don’t beat around the bush about what your business is.  Something as simple as the Pizza Palace is to be preferred over Pie-Delicious.  The latter might be a pizza place, but it could also be a bakery.  Keep it simple and specific.

Another way to go is to use a very common thing (animal, mineral, fruit) or personal name to associate with a product or service.  Apple comes to mind.  When they started, they were known as Apple Computers.  McDonald’s (started by the McDonald brothers) was originally McDonald’s Hamburgers.  When you’re as big as either one of those giants, you can get away with shortening the name a bit.

A local business, on the other hand, should be very clear who and what it is, as expressed by its name.

But all of that having been said, no matter the business’s name, the real make-or-break issues are always remarkable service, a superb product and great value.

The takeaway:  The name of a local business should be made up of two or three simple, everyday words, along with category specificity: On-time Plumbing, Food Town, Southwest Airlines, Office Max, Easy Tire & Automotive.  All of which are meaningless, however, unless those businesses consistently deliver great service, real product benefits and outstanding value.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

Here’s a terrific article on naming a business.

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Truth as a Sales Concept

A few years ago, while working at an agency that handled a lot of car dealers, one of my responsibilities was coming up with new ways to position automotive clients in their respective marketplaces.

Biggest.  Baddest.  Best.  Every car dealer was, in some form or another, one of those.

Hyperbole was the rule of the day.

One positioning that was used in many markets was THE GIANT!  Joe Schmoe Hyundai.  The Hyundai Giant! 

Dealers loved it.  Well, most of them did.

But, I learned a valuable lesson when working on the creative for a small used-car dealer down in Texas.

I don’t remember what the positioning was I came up with, but it was huge and so was the car lot footage (not theirs) we used in a spec spot for them.  Everything was big about the commercial – the announcer, the deals, the acres of cars.

We overnighted the commercial to the prospective client.  (Back before online delivery was the modus operandi.)  I was sure this little car dealership was going to be absolutely thrilled with how big-time we made them look.

When I took a call the next day from the prospect, I did not get the reaction I expected.

The short version went something like this:

Me:  Hi, Bob (not his name), what did you think of the spot?

Bob:  (PAUSE)  You know, I’m not sure who that ad was for, but it wasn’t us.  That didn’t look anything like us.

Me:  Gulp.

Bob:  Hey, we’re just a small-town dealer that everybody knows.  That’s not at all our image.  Thanks for trying.

I won’t go into all the things we (I) did wrong with this approach, but I learned a valuable lesson: although perception is important in advertising, so is the truth.

Turn on the radio in any major market on Friday morning and listen to all the car-dealer spots as they run together into one impossible-to-differentiate, aural homogenization.

Talk about hyperbole.  Massive!  Gigantic!  Huge!  Big!  Colossal! Unheard of!  Unbeatable!  Pick a super superlative and each dealer’s savings or event is more so than the other.

And don’t even get me started on the hyper-speed, half-volume disclaimer that follows or precedes each of these frenetic offerings.

It’s small wonder car shoppers have become somewhat jaded, especially in this economy.

I can’t think of a more lasting turn-off for a customer than to go in for a $199-per-month deal and be told one of three things: 1) that payment is good for six months only, 2) that s/he will need a very high down payment or a high-value trade-in, or 3) a high interest rate with a 72 or even 96-month term.

Why do agencies and broadcasters produce these commercials? Because many of their clients want them.  But not my guy in Texas.  Smart dude.

The takeaway:  Encourage your clients to get real — car dealers and otherwise — and just talk to people like they’re people…telling the truth about actual benefits and legitimate value.

Call it naiveté if you must, but we think this smells like opportunity.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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If you’ve read any of our blogs, you know we’re always harping about the absolute necessity of giving the consumer a reason to buy something in every advertising message.

Yeah, sure, brand is important.  But it’s clearly a chicken-egg thing.  At Rhino Writes, we hold fast to the idea that you’ve first got to give people a reason to buy (try) a retailer, product or service in order to ever establish the brand in their minds.

Advertising is first and foremost about benefits plus value, supported by recall.  More on that here.  It’s about motivating people to do something (take action), not just feel good about an ad or commercial.  That notion is as perennial as dirt.

All of this was brought forcefully back to mind when I read an article this morning in AdAge Media News online.  (JC Penney Looks to Newspapers in Revamped Marketing Push by Natalie Zumda)

Wait a minute!  Didn’t JC Penney “revamp” just a few months ago?  Yes they did.  Here’s what we wrote about that effort.

Now, this quote from the AdAge article:  “The upbeat, colorful marketing…made people rethink JC Penney and was entertaining…but it didn’t reach the core customer and didn’t build the business.”

Translation: IT DIDN’T SELL STUFF.

In fact, the venerable retailer experienced a second-quarter sales skid of 23%, with a $147-million-dollar loss.

Hey, this latest JCP effort — with its dazzling color, clever editing and sexy young couple in the laundromat — is interesting eye candy, but I’m thinking the commercial comes nowhere near the level of provocation necessary for hardworking, budget-conscious moms to swarm the place for back-to-school shopping.

Why?  Value is not communicated, the critical what’s-in-it-for-me part of the message.  People, we’re living in an economy where dollar stores are booming.  It’s not enough to simply mention the hot brands a retailer carries, even in national advertising.

Almost any value message would have helped this commercial.  “Levis in your size, 25% off this weekend” would be a good start.  Something!  Anything!  Give me a doggone good reason to do something other than think “that was sweet” after seeing the freakin’ commercial.

The AdAge article also said that JCP CEO Ron Johnson “…believes the brand was spending too much money on TV and not enough on print.”

What Mr. Johnson might unwittingly be saying is that Penney’s television commercials lacked a strong value (price) message that would naturally be part of print, not that print is generally a better medium than television (or radio).

Electronic media work wonderfully well IF the message offers real value to the viewer/listener.

The takeaway: Without a value message, advertising is basically just entertainment, if that.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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The new Apple “Genius” campaign is taking a pounding as the blogosphere is rife with marketing pundits who are shredding it mercilessly.

First, let me say that I understand what Apple is trying to do with this effort. But it appears that in an attempt to point out the simplicity of the many things one can do with a Mac, they are woefully muddling the message.  This is more like misguided genius.

Here’s an early Macintosh commercial called Real Genius. Notice how it funnels down to the benefit of the ultimate simplicity of the original Mac. It has all these wonderful technological advances, but the real benefit is how incredibly simple it is to use…for all us non-geniuses.  Great, simple message.

The problem with the new Apple Genius campaign is what it wants to say appears to be coming out very much the opposite.  The message here seems to be that you need to call a genius just to figure out how to use the thing.

I’m sure Steve Jobs is not thrilled with this approach. Right. I said “is not thrilled,” not “wouldn’t be thrilled.” Yeah, don’t believe for a second he’d let a little thing like passing on keep him out of touch with what’s happening with his baby.

The takeaway: From its user-friendly software to its minimalist design of equipment, Apple has always based everything on ultimate simplicity. Here at the posh but not overly ostentatious Rhino Writes Institute of Anti-Mumbo-Jumbo high-rise, we think this new Apply Genius campaign falls way too far from the core beliefs and practices that made Apple advertising what it is (was?).  Think different.  Think simple.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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Do You Have Symbiotic Relationships With Your Clients?

First, a disclaimer:  The right half of this image is in no way to be construed as a social commentary on any former boss or associate.

One of my pet peeves is when someone starts an article, blog or presentation by saying,  “The dictionary defines <fill in the blank> as blah, blah, blah.” It’s just a weak beginning.

So…I’ll brazenly disregard that by saying the dictionary defines symbiosis as “(noun) a relationship between two people in which each person is dependent upon and receives reinforcement, whether beneficial or detrimental, from the other.”  (I just couldn’t say it any better.)

Hence the adjective, symbiotic.

By standing close to each other head to rear, the horses in the image are definitely enjoying a symbiotic relationship by swishing their tails to keep flies off each other’s face, something one horse by itself could not do.

Isn’t that what a marketing partnership (here and here) with a client is all about, doing something for each other one could not do alone.

I’m reminded of a quote from Larry Wilson’s book, Stop Selling, Start Partnering, that goes like this:  “When I help others get what they want, I get what I want.”

Think about it.  You work as if a partner with a client to build a great marketing strategy, create campaigns, position him/her in the marketplace, develop a provocative and benefit-filled tag line, write copy, and on and on…all of which increases the client’s sales and provides him or her with a better life.  That’s what s/he wants.

From this symbiotic relationship you get a long-time client, help increase the bottom line of your agency or broadcast company, and, if you’re an AE, more income and a better life for you and your family.  Oh, and mounds of satisfaction. That’s what you want.

In short, a great symbiotic marketing partnership actually boils down to something as simple as a couple of horses keeping flies off each other’s face.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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Are Political Campaigns Forgetting the Basic Tenets of Advertising?

In sardonic Seinfeld-esque fashion, we ask, What’s the deal with negative political advertising?

We just don’t get it.  Why do campaigns and super PACs think negative ads are the answer to a winning strategy?  Because research tells them negative advertising works.

At Rhino Writes, we just don’t believe it.  Okay, we don’t totally believe it.  Surely, contrast commercials are important.  Our (my) problem is that most political ads we’re seeing today fail to couch the contrast message in a positive frame.

We understand the rah-rah appeal of negative ads for staunch supporters of each candidate.  But what about the undecideds?  Maybe they need something different.

In AdAge Blogs today, Elizabeth Wilner writes under the headline Why You’ll See Negative Political Ads in the Olympics, “Every strategy comes with a cost. Unilateral disarmament won’t happen in presidential advertising until the day when voters give the White House keys to a candidate who either opts out of the ad arms race or sticks to a positive message as a matter of principle.”

Well, that hasn’t happened recently, and definitely not this season.

Mitt Romney is in the prefect position to put a spin on what many consider the best political commercial of all time, with a morning in America-ish approach.

Perhaps President Obama needs to redefine hope, especially with the current economic situation.

The first of the two candidates to beat the other to the positive punch will, in our opinion, take home all the marbles in November.

Clearly, this can’t be simply about what Ms. Wilner calls “break[ing] out in harp music….”  As we said earlier, the contrast message must be there.  But we also want to hear how a candidate will make our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren truly better, safer and brighter.  In some cases, the positive message must even include the pain of overcoming current adversities.

It all comes down to what advertising is all about anyway.  Whether Brand Obama or Brand Romney, it must answer every consumer’s (voter’s) question: Why should I care?  Yes, that’s true even in political advertising.

It’s not how bad the other brand (candidate) sucks; it’s about each candidate’s story.  It’s about his view of a better America, and about the specifics (benefits) of getting there.

It seems to us that inclusivity is also important.  President Obama almost always uses the word “together” in his speeches: “We need to all pull together….”  “Everyone deserves a shot….”  Governor Romney’s campaign might take a clue from that.

One other thought: each message should be consistently simple.  Simplicity is key to all successful advertising messages.  A slogan of few words that defines the campaign is a major absolute.  Actually, President Obama’s one-word slogan four years ago was as simple as it gets.  Hope.  His detractors might say they’re still looking for it.

As slogans, neither Obama’s Forward nor Romney’s Believe in America speaks to why a voter should choose one candidate over the other.  The best advertising slogans do double duty by touting benefits within the slogan.   (A Diamond is Forever, You’re In Good Hands with Allstate, The Ultimate Driving Machine, Have it Your Way, and one of our favorites, the erstwhile Home Depot slogan…You Can Do It; We Can Help.)

With the neck-and-neck race that current polls seem to indicate, we believe the first candidate to rise above and stay above the fracas with a positive, inclusive and simple message wins.  That, within itself, will offer tremendous contrast.  Of course, bringing the PACs on board is another issue.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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What Kind of Ads Are Most Effective?

Perhaps you felt prompted to answer the question posed in our headline with something like, “It depends on the situation.”

Frankly, in our business, the only “situation” is selling stuff.

Here at the posh but not overly ostentatious Rhino Writes Institute of Anti-Mumbo-Jumbo high-rise, a headline in Advertising Age jumped off the page (screen) at us: “Funny TV Ads Don’t Sell Better Than Unfunny Ones — And Can Even Sell Worse.”

What?!

Is that to suggest that all those funny Super Bowl commercials everybody’s talking about the next day at work don’t sell stuff better or even as well as say commercials that actually offer value and benefits that will make our lives better?  (Chance of scattered sarcasm.)

“Funny ads do get more attention and are better liked. But syndicated ad-testing firm Ace Metrix found funniness had little correlation with effectiveness in a scoring system that incorporates watchability, likability and persuasion among other factors. In fact, funny ads were slightly less likely to increase desire or purchase intent than unfunny ones,” said the Ad Age article written by Jack Neff.

This reminded me of something I read some months ago in The Ad Contrarian e-book.  It talks about how TiVo can track what viewers watch, including commercials.  The DVR company found that “when it comes to advertising, you are skipping the good stuff and staying for the junk.  In the advertising world, the ‘good stuff’ is considered the stuff that wins the awards….  The ‘junk’ is the stuff with 800 number [and] prices….”

In other words, given the ability to skip commercials, viewers are more likely to skip the cool commercials and stop to watch and listen to direct response commercials with a value message.

The takeaway:  We might talk about funny commercials (“I saw a funny commercial last night about these wolves that attacked a high school marching band.  It was crazy funny.  Can’t remember who it was for, but it was hilarious.”).  But what sells products and services is a real offer of value that will make our lives easier and/or happier, more interesting, safer, richer….

Commercials that answer the What’s-in-it-for-me? question in the viewer/listener’s mind with powerful benefits and a value message that speaks to quality and price.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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“The next zombie movie Hollywood will shoot will be based on an auditorium of people who had to watch a long, detailed PowerPoint presentation [filled with bullet points, meaningless clip-art and distracting transitions.]“

I wish I knew who came up with that zombie line so I could give him or her due credit.

Last time, we talked about how new-business (or existing business) presentations should be all about the client…first, last and in the middle, including the very first words out of a presenter’s mouth.  Here ’tis.

This post continues the topic of the presentation (the pitch) by talking about one of the most overused, misused and abused tools ever.

Any presentation should be about one thing: telling the story of how your agency or broadcast organization is going to solve the client’s (potential client’s) problems and make his/her world better and more profitable.

It’s NOT about simply delivering information.  If that’s all one wants to do, s/he might as well just send an e-mail.

Hence, PowerPoint should be an aid in a presentation, not the presentation itself.  It assists in telling the story; it’s not the story.

Most PowerPoint presentations I’ve seen have one thing in common: they’re boring as sin.

Perhaps you’ve been in pitches where bullet point after bullet point literally filled the screen with countless words, each flying in some dramatic fashion, jamming information into every square inch of the projected image.  You could see the prospect’s eyes begin to glaze over.

Regrettably, this is clearly a case in which the method becomes the message, not an aid to painting your picture, your vision of the client’s new life with your company.

Okay, a couple of suggestions from the Rhino.

Don’t use a ton of slides.  Just enough to support and help build your story.

No slide should ever contain more than a handful of words, six, maybe seven, at the most.

Use pictures or quality images to tell the story, not cheesy clip-art that’s only slightly germane (if that) to your story.  In many cases, the only thing on the slide should be an impactful image, with zero words.

Forget the dissolves, flips, spins or other transitions.  They’re a distraction to the story.

And for heaven’s sake, throw out bullet-points.  Bullets are deadly.

One other note.  Often times, agencies or broadcasters will leave behind a printout of a bullet-point-ladened PowerPoint presentation.  I love what Jon Steel said about this practice: “Leaving behind a printout of a PowerPoint presentation means the agency [or broadcast company] will be boring the client not once, but twice.”

The leave-behind should be an entirely different animal: a well-designed book or booklet that reiterates your story in beautiful, image-enhanced prose form.

If you’d like to know more about the art of presentations that sell, give us a shout at 480-201-1613 or larsonbennett1@gmail.com. At Rhino Writes, we specialize in helping agencies and broadcasters develop new-business presentations.

The takeaway: PowerPoint is a visual aid.  It aids in telling your story; it’s not the story.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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#10  It’s all about the client, not you.

#9  It’s all about the client, not you.

#8  It’s all about the client, not you.

#7  It’s all about the client, not you.

#6  It’s all about the client, not you.

#5  It’s all about the client, not you.

#4  It’s all about the client, not you.

#3  It’s all about the client, not you.

#2  It’s all about the client, not you.

#1  It’s all about the client, not you.

Okay, there’s a fair chance we’ve overstated our case a bit.  BUT, if you start a pitch by taking even a few seconds to talk about you, your agency or broadcast company, you’ve lost a critical opportunity.  The client DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOU; THEY ONLY WANT TO HEAR HOW YOU WILL HELP THEM.

Seriously, make your pitch solely and absolutely about the client and his/her world of issues and opportunities…from word one.  Any prior introductions should be handled by someone at the company to whom you’re making the presentation.

Do this in spite of what you might have seen to the contrary on AMC’s The Pitch.

Clients (potential clients) DON’T CARE about how many awards your agency or station(s) has won, how long you’ve been in business, that you have world-class production facilities, that you have the largest cume in the market, that you’re media-buying experts, that you feel you’d be a perfect fit for them, etc., etc., etc.

They DO CARE about whether you’re going to solve their problems and make their lives better and more profitable.

So…what makes a great opening line — the VERY FIRST WORDS out of the presenter’s mouth — when making a new business pitch?

At Rhino Writes, we believe you must immediately address the client’s interests…and preferably show that you’ve done your homework, demonstrating that you know about the business you’re pitching.

For example:  This year, Zippity Zeppelin Whimmy Diddles sold 649,000 units in the first quarter, down 36% from the same period last year.  Your share of the whimmy diddle market is also down.  We’re here today to show you how we’re going help you turn that around, reclaiming your market share and making you more profitable.

Wham!  Straight to the heart of the client’s self-interest.

Here’s another:  Of the three Kia dealers in this market, you’re number three.  That shouldn’t be the case.  You have a superb management team, an excellent inventory and a well-trained sales team.  We’ve seen them work.  You have a bit of a location problem.  Today, we’ve going to show you how we will work with you to turn your location into a positive and help you sell more Kias.

No anecdotes, no humorous stories.  Those will come later as they fit and are needed to maintain interest, support ideas and move the presentation along.

Note in the examples above, the words “help you” or “work with you” are used.  From the very beginning, the concept of forming a marketing partnership with the client is set in motion.

Self-interest is what sells products and services to consumers; it’s also what sells new clients.  Go there immediately.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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Owning a Broadcast Station is a License to Print Money (At Least in Theory)

Several years ago I fell victim to that urge that seems to bedevil almost everyone at one time or another: to open a restaurant.  Unlike me, most people make it through life without ever actually acting on that urge.  They’re the lucky ones.

No matter how many hamburgers and hot dogs I sold, my inventory (food) cost as a percentage of sales remained about the same.  I had to continuously replenish my inventory of hamburger meat, franks, buns, mustard, tomatoes, pickles, etc., etc., etc..

However, a broadcast organization literally creates inventory out of thin air, being limited only by the number of minutes in an hour.

So, after selling enough commercial time to cover the operating nut each month, everything else should be pure profit, not being encumbered by the continual raw materials inventory costs associated with a business like a restaurant.

Sounds good in theory.

This begs two questions: 1) Is there enough available inventory in an hour (week, month) at the rate at which it’s being sold to more than cover cost of operation?  2)  How much value do you place on available inventory?

That second question relates more to quality than quantity.  In other words, how is your product inventory represented to your clients and how do your client’s perceive the quality of what you can do for them?

This is coming around to something we’re always making noise about here at the posh but not overly ostentatious Rhino Writes Institute of Anti-Mumbo-Jumbo high-rise: the development of marketing partnerships with clients.

When clients view a broadcast organization (or ad agency, for that matter) as a marketing partner, it becomes a numbers game not of how many “spots” were run, but of the client’s profitability.  Hence, as we said above, it’s an issue of quality rather than quantity.

And now for — as one of my favorite bloggers likes to say — the shameless self-promotion part of this post.  At Rhino Writes, we specialize in helping broadcast companies (and ad agencies) with sales concepts and presentations, positioning strategies and on-going creative for clients.  Our goal is to make more money for you by helping you get and keep more profitable clients through creating long lasting marketing partnerships.

The more quality marketing-partnership clients a broadcast organization has, the more achievable the tipping point between covering the nut and clear profit.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

www.rhinowrites.com

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“The beginning of greatness is to be different. And the beginning of failure is to be orthodox. Big ideas come from the unconscious. This is true in art, in science, and in advertising. But your unconscious has to be well informed, or your idea will be irrelevant. Stuff your conscious mind with information, then unhook your rational thought process.” * – David Ogilvy

For ten years between 1998 and 2008, I was employed by a Phoenix-area ad agency, serving as creative director the last seven or eight of those years.  What I learned there was amazing.

Regrettably, the agency was caught up in the major advertising downturn which was just hitting its stride in 2008, when myself and a bunch of other people from the agency found ourselves thrown into a fast growing pool of unemployed advertising professionals nationwide.

And, though it definitely didn’t seem like it at the time, it was absolutely the best thing that could have happened to me.

After working on a temporary basis for a couple of other local agencies, I decided I needed to know more about the advertising business, much more.

So…starting with a couple of David Ogilvy books, followed by Bill Bernbach writings (to initially get somewhat of a historical perspective on the business), I read a lot of advertising books and started to regularly read a few blogs relating to the business.

Whether you’re in the ad agency business or broadcasting, it’s easy to get caught up in your company’s culture and systems, as one work day follows another.  Soon, you’re doing the same thing over and over.  Which is fine.  That’s what you’re paid to do.

But, consider this an invitation to get your head outside what you’ve learned with your current employer.  It will make you a much better professional and increase your value to your company.

Here, in alphabetical order by the author’s first name, is a partial list of books I’ve read and recommend.  With the exception of the Malcolm Gladwell books, most of these 25 books are about advertising and ad sales, with some about writing and style thrown in.

Associated Press – AP Stylebook

Bob Hoffman – The Ad Contrarian

Bob Hoffman – 101 Contrarian Ideas About Advertising

Carmine Gallo – The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

Chip Heath and Dan Heath – Made to Stick

David Ogilvy – Confessions of an Advertising Man

David Ogilvy – Ogilvy On Advertising

Jack Trout – A Genie’s Wisdom

Jack Trout – Differentiate or Die

Jack Trout & Al Ries – Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind (old but great)

Jim Doyle – Don’t Just Make a Sale…Make a Difference!

Jon Steel – Perfect Pitch

Jon Steel – Truth Lies & Advertising

Macmillian – Macmillian Handbood of English

Malcolm Gladwell – Outliers

Malcolm Gladwell – The Tipping Point

Mark Schofield – The Golden Football

Pat Fallon & Fred Senn – Juicing the Orange

Rosser Reeves – Reality in Advertising

Second Wind – Account Service Bible

Seth Godin -  All Marketers are Liars

Seth Godin – Permission Marketing

Seth Godin – Purple Cow

Seth Godin – The Dip

Spencer Johnson – Who Moved My Cheese?

Strunk and White – The Elements of Style

Here at Rhino Writes, we believe the more you know, the better you can serve your clients and increase your value to your employer.

Anyway, that’s how it looks from here.

-LB

*Thanks to Roy Williams’ Monday Morning Memo blog for reminding us of this David Ogilvy quote.

www.rhinowrites.com

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