Strategy Archives - Page 44 of 53 - McLellan Marketing Group

A must read book on branding

February 11, 2007

This is a book that’s been out for a few years, but I think its still been "under-read" by people who need the information inside.

I believe 100% in the power of branding. It is without a doubt, the most important and misunderstood aspect of marketing in today’s ecomony. Joe Calloway’s book Becoming a Category of One is the branding book I wish I had written. It’s that good and that on target.

Calloway is a gifted storyteller who helps the reader "get it" and understand how critical it is for them to brand their organization. Every business owner/leader should be required to read this book. It’s an enjoyable, quick read…but even if it wasn’t I’d make you read it.

I believe that branding is the only significant way we can differentiate ourselves from everyone else out there who sells the same things we sell. Most businesses have no idea how to articulate their brand — if they even know what it is or how to uncover it. I’ll tell you this much — it is not your logo or your sales theme of the month.

Check out Joe’s book and be prepared to be inspired to find and celebrate your company’s true brand.

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A marketing tip from my Italian grandma: Speak in your native tongue

February 10, 2007

No doubt you look at my last name and say Italian? But rest assured, on my mom’s side I’m your amico! Like all Italians, I had an Italian grandma. And like all Italian grandmas, she had an opinion about everything and wasn’t afraid to share it or the life lessons she had collected along her colorful life.

What she didn’t realize is that she also taught me some great marketing tips that in her honor, I’d like to share with you.

When I got under my grandma’s skin (which I must admit, I did on purpose now and again) she would give me "the look" (as illustrated to the right) and then she’d wave her hand in the air and mutter "oh Madonne" which roughly translates to "a prayer of patience to the Virgin Mary or "Madonna dell’Oh di mine." (If that’s not quite right, blame me and the online translator!)

In fact, you knew she was completely in her zone (happy, mad, sad etc.) when the Italian came out.

When she wasn’t being cautious or conscious about how she sounded or was in a peak state –she slipped into her family’s native tongue.

It was when there was no doubt about how she was feeling. Complete authenticity.

That’s a lesson that as marketers we should embrace as well.

The community, our customers and prospects can tell when we are speaking in our native tongue and when we’re trying to spin doctor something. When you are completely in your zone — talking to a client or your internal team, you are probably talking very naturally, without a lot of jargon or hype.

Now look at your website, brochures, and ads. Do they have that same authenticity or are they filled with ad speak? Maybe it’s time to switch to your native tongue?

Here’s the entire Marketing Tips from My Italian Grandma series, for your enjoyment:

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How to choose an agency: Do your homework (part 1)

February 10, 2007

You’re hiring an agency because you want results.

This is not about making your ads look prettier or your Web site cooler. (Although that may be a by product.) This is about doing more business, smarter.

So, how do you choose the right partner? Eenie Meanie Mienie Moe?

Well, if you read my earlier post you know I don’t think it should be an RFP. But on the other extreme, it shouldn’t be just because your cousin works there either.

Following a simple process (simple to understand, but will take discipline and time to execute) will protect you from making an expensive mistake.

The phases of the process are:

Know what you want (ask yourself questions)
Do your homework (ask the prospective agencies questions)
The meet and greet (get together and ask questions)

Now that you have a better idea of what you want, it’s time to dig into the homework. This is where most potential clients just spit out a generic RFP that won’t really tell them what they need to know. Let’s take a step back.

Before you develop the questionnaire, let’s decide who we should send it to. Create a list of candidates. Shoot for 5-10 options. But, where do you find potential agency partners?

Think about work you admire. Contact the advertiser and ask them who their agency is.
Call your local/regional business journal and ask for recommendations.
Talk to your printer or other suppliers.
Check out the web. You can search by specialty or by geography.
Talk to your peers at trade shows and association meetings.
Check out Advertising Redbooks, a resource on agencies. (if you are more national in scope)
Read agency trade publications like AdAge or AdWeek. (if you’re more national in scope)

Now that you have your list, it’s time for us to decide what to ask them. That’s up next.

The rest of the How to Choose An Agency Series:

Flickr photo courtesy of PeeJ0e

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Know the customer but know you’re not the customer

February 9, 2007

In the January ’07 issue of Inc. Magazine, there’s an article written by Thomas Stemberg, the founder of Staples. He said something that is right in line with my recent post "How’s the view from inside the bottle?"

Stemberg says "know your customer" is the most profound lesson in the business canon. He goes on to follow up that thought with "but never assume that you are the customer."

There is nothing insignificant about that distinction.

Download StembergInc.pdf

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How to choose an agency: Know what you want (part 3)

February 9, 2007

You’re hiring an agency because you want results.

This is not about making your ads look prettier or your Web site cooler. (Although that may be a by product.) This is about doing more business, smarter.

So, how do you choose the right partner? Eenie Meanie Mienie Moe?

Well, if you read my earlier post you know I don’t think it should be an RFP. But on the other extreme, it shouldn’t be just because your cousin works there either.

Following a simple process (simple to understand, but will take discipline and time to execute) will protect you from making an expensive mistake.

The phases of the process are:

Know what you want (ask yourself questions)
Do your homework (ask the prospective agencies questions)
The meet and greet (get together and ask questions)

Let’s start with the first phase — knowing what you want. You start with your own organization. Before you reach out to find the right partner, it’s important to know what you are bringing to the party.

You should ask yourself a series of questions. Let’s look at question #3:

What kind of client will we be?

This is probably the most important question you need to ask yourself and it’s also the toughest to answer. Before you can know what kind of agency you need, you need to know how you’ll be as a client.

Will you be open with your financial information? Will they be privy to board meetings and your internal dirty laundry? Will you be open to new ideas and innovative strategies to hit your goal targets? How accessible will you be? Are you going to make their daily contact person a junior staffer or will they have the ear of a senior management team member?

Before you can really know what kind of an agency will be the right fit, you need to know what sort of an environment you’re bringing them into.

Watch for the next question you should ponder…

The rest of the How to Choose An Agency Series:

Flickr photo courtesy of PeeJ0e

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Do you want a 340 lb exercise instructor?

February 8, 2007

…or…

Last week, The Wall Street Journal wrote an article about a new exercise (Nordic Walking) that targets the "less than fit." Part of the effort to lure the couch potatoes and non-athletic type people into an exercise class is to have overweight instructors lead the group.

In the article one of the instructors, the 340 lb. Donna Mirabile, explains the tactic as "we want people to think if big fat Donna can do it, so can they."

Hmm.

Now the politically correct answer of course, is…it doesn’t matter how much she weighs. And maybe it doesn’t.

But I find myself wondering if this isn’t a case of someone marketing based on what they wish people thought/wanted rather than either recognizing or wanting to acknowledge the not so flattering human truth. (Sort of like the recycling movement.)

I get the whole before and after technique that is rampant in weight loss marketing. They show a picture of "big fat Donna" and then we see the after version "svelte, sexy Donna" while she tells us she could still eat chocolate. The premise of these ads is to encourage the mental leap — if Donna can transform herself, so can I.

But if "big fat Donna" is leading the class and she is still "big fat Donna" does that imply that you’re going to stay "big fat you?"

Be honest — both women are friendly, kind, love animals. But one is fit and one is fat. Who would you, as a consumer, want to take the exercise class from?

Do you think it matters, from a marketing perspective?

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How to choose an agency: Know what you want (part 2)

February 7, 2007

You’re hiring an agency because you want results.

This is not about making your ads look prettier or your Web site cooler. (Although that may be a by product.) This is about doing more business, smarter.

So, how do you choose the right partner? Eenie Meanie Mienie Moe?

Well, if you read my earlier post you know I don’t think it should be an RFP. But on the other extreme, it shouldn’t be just because your cousin works there either.

Following a simple process (simple to understand, but will take discipline and time to execute) will protect you from making an expensive mistake.

The phases of the process are:

Know what you want (ask yourself questions)
Do your homework (ask the prospective agencies questions)
The meet and greet (get together and ask questions)

Let’s start with the first phase — knowing what you want. You start with your own organization. Before you reach out to find the right partner, it’s important to know what you are bringing to the party.

You should ask yourself a series of questions. Let’s look at question #2:

What kind of budget should/can we allocate to advertising for each of the next few years?

This question will narrow the number of candidate agencies.

Some larger agencies won’t touch accounts with less than $1 million in yearly billings. Conversely, some small agencies might not want to take on accounts that would drastically increase the workload beyond the limits of their staff.

You want to know that your agency can handle your workload. On the flip side, you want to know that you won’t be such a small fish that you’ll get ignored or relegated to the most junior of staff.

Logic will tell you that you don’t want to be 1% of an agency’s total billings nor do you want to be 75%.

Watch for the next question you should ponder…

The rest of the How to Choose An Agency Series:

Flickr photo courtesy of PeeJ0e

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How to choose an agency: Know what you want (part 1)

February 7, 2007

You’re hiring an agency because you want results.

This is not about making your ads look prettier or your Web site cooler. (Although that may be a by product.) This is about doing more business, smarter.

So, how do you choose the right partner? Eenie Meanie Mienie Moe?

Well, if you read my post from yesterday, you know I don’t think it should be an RFP. But on the other extreme, it shouldn’t be just because your cousin works there either.

Following a simple process (simple to understand, but will take discipline and time to execute) will protect you from making an expensive mistake.

The phases of the process are:

Know what you want (ask yourself questions)
Do your homework (ask the prospective agencies questions)
The meet and greet (get together and ask questions)

Let’s start with the first phase — knowing what you want. You start with your own organization. Before you reach out to find the right partner, it’s important to know what you are bringing to the party.

You should ask yourself a series of questions. Let’s look at question #1:

Why are we looking for an agency? What do we want them to help us accomplish?

(Increasing sales locally? Increasing sales nationwide? Changing our image? Introducing a new product or service, etc.)

This question will help you decide exactly what results you need from an advertising agency. Some advertising agencies may not offer all the services you might need.

And on the flip side, some agencies may offer – and charge you for – services you don’t need. For example, if you decide that new business cards and a new letterhead are all that you need, a local design studio may be more cost-effective than a full-service advertising agency.

Watch for the next question you should ponder…

Flickr photo courtesy of PeeJ0e

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It’s your fault!

February 3, 2007

Remember the discussion about Kohl’s right after the holidays. Paul (HeeHawMarketing) posted some photos about his experience in a local store. The place was a disaster.

I followed up with a post saying that Paul’s experience is a symptom of bad or a complete lack of branding. When an organization doesn’t have a clear direction — it generates some significant problems.

When your employees don’t understand your brand — even the best employees flounder around, trying to do what they think they should.
When you don’t invest in employee communication and tell them over and over what matters, human nature says won’t retain the message.
A good, solid brand sets the expectations for your customers.

But here’s one of the greatest risks of not having a rock-solid brand.

Finger pointing. It’s not my fault. It’s not my department. No one is accountable, because no one knows what they’re accountable for. For a real-life example, let’s go back to the Kohl’s story.

Paul got a voice mail from Kohl’s VP of Public Relations. Here’s what she said:

"Please know that it is our top priority to provide you, and all of our customers, a quality shopping experience. I’m very sorry that you recently encountered an unacceptable store environment, and from your pictures, clearly not up to our standards. I have advised our senior level management, they’ve been made aware, and they’re highly committed to addressing it. So, thanks again for letting me know. I do appreciate hearing from you and we do value your patronage."

In other words….nothing but smoke being blown up his skirt. So, then a Kohl’s employee wanted to step into the discussion.

As you might expect — it’s not their fault. Bad management, understaffed, under-appreciated employees, customers who are pigs, children who are unruly, etc. etc. And you know, he’s probably exactly right.

But also, ultimately wrong.

So what’s the solution? Someone has to care. Someone has to have a vision. Someone needs to set a course. That has to happen at a corporate level. And at the store level. And at the individual employee level. In other words, they all have to realize and believe that is is indeed their problem.

They need to discover their brand promise and begin to teach their employees how to bring it to life.

Until that happens, I suspect Kohl’s will continue to breed a culture of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" not my problem, man.

Sad.

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How’s the view from inside the bottle?

February 2, 2007

It happens all the time. The business owner believes that they can be objective about their own business. Impossible.

I hate to be so emphatic — but if you own the joint, you cannot see it from the same lens as someone on the outside. Here is a Drewism (phrase that is uttered repeatedly over time) "You cannot accurately describe the outside of the bottle if you are on the inside."

Mark True, over at REL Online, has a great post about tough love for entrepreneurs. He asks the question "What do you think is the single biggest marketing mistake committed by new business owners?"

If you own or run the business, you have a grossly disproportionate amount of knowledge about the industry, the product/service and your specific business. All of that makes you uniquely qualified to be biased.

Think you can shake it off and become objective? Think again. It’s sort of like knowing that Santa isn’t real and then trying to go through the entire holiday season believing the old guy is really coming down your chimney. You can simulate the belief — but it’s tainted with what you know.

So how do you get objectivity? You put together an advisory council. You do research. You pay attention to what social media is saying and doing. You hire an outside expert. You ask your customers. You ask the people who opted not to buy.

But you don’t rely on your objectivity.

Marketing truth: You cannot accurately describe the outside of the bottle if you are on the inside.

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