Are Your Customers Dumping You?

This is a surprisingly good parable put out by Microsoft illustrating the way most companies advertise to their customers and what the customers think about it. This is why customer engagement is so important.

To Win The War On Business: Advertise

This is my latest "Rant" in Contracting Business...

Private enterprise is under assault in America to a degree not seen since the Great Depression. While Hollywood and the media attack business with rhetoric, the government uses rhetoric, regulation, and taxes. It doesn't bode well for those struggling to find employment, though it might present an opportunity for your company.


Read more at Contracting Business (and be sure to add a comment in the new comment box at the bottom of the column).

Facebook Passes Yahoo in Hits, Leads Everyone In Share of User Time

Do you have a Facebook fan page for your company?  If not, why not?  After all, it's F-R-E-E. And Facebook ads can be more precisely targeted and are more cost effective than Google Adwords.

According to the web analytics company, Compete, Facebook has passed Yahoo as the second most popular website on the Internet...

Only Google gets more unique visitors than Facebook and Facebook is closing in on Google fast. Google is attempting to respond to the Facebook threat with Buzz. While I would never underestimate Google, Facebook's ease of use means Buzz is unlikely to pose much threat. Meanwhile, Facebook's share of Internet user time is stunning and must concern Google.

Facebook accounted for 11.6% of time online, more than Google (4.1%) and Yahoo (4.3%) combined...

Only the foolish business owner overlooks the potential opportunity represented by Facebook. Remember, business is built on relationships and Facebook is merely a digital way to build and reinforce relationships with your customers. It's more efficient and less expensive than attending a network group, chamber meeting, or service club.

Click here to become a fan of the Service Roundtable.

Click here to become a friend of mine on Facebook.

Click here to follow me on Twitter.

Click here to connect with me on Linked In.

Click here to connect with me on Plaxo.

Rapidly The Truth Will Out - Today's Technology Means Realtime Fact Checking

The speaker was addressing nearly a thousand people and tossed out an incredible statistic. "Incredible," in this instance, does not mean fantastic, amazing, awesome, or terrific. It means lacking credibility, not believable, or improbable.

It smelled. I immediately shut down, tuned out, and hit the Internet to fact check the statistic on my web-enabled phone. I quickly found that it was overstated by a factor of four. It took a few minutes longer to confirm the error with a separate source.

I realize that it's possible the speaker simply misspoke. In fact, he probably misspoke. Yet while the speaker wasn't using a teleprompter, his remarks did appear carefully prepared, reducing the possibility of an unplanned error. Perhaps he ad-libbed poorly.

Whether planned, purposeful, or not, the error called every other statistic he cited into question. In fact, it made everything he said suspect.

If I was listening to the speaker ten years ago I might have doubted the stat, but couldn't check it real time. Today, it's different. As web-enabled phones become more ubiquitous, more people have the ability to fact check public speakers, advertising, and salespeople. And once found providing erroneous information, everything else is suspect.

Salespeople who are caught misstating facts on a presentation, blow their credibility with one person. It's worse for advertisers. Advertisers may find their ads the subject of blogs. It's even worse for speakers. They may find their error exposed before the crowd real time if the conference is being "tweetcast" on Twitter as more and more events are.

After confirming the correct statistic with a second source, I tweeted my finding using the conference hash tag. I don't know how many people were actively following the conference using Twitter, but at least a dozen were contributing to the tweetcast. I suspect others were following it remote because they couldn't attend the conference, and still others would search the hash tag on Twitter after the conference to read the tweetstream as a way of reviewing conference notes. The number of people engaged in a silent, running commentary during events will only grow as more people discover and use the new technology.

Technology is changing the game. Speakers, advertisers, and salespeople have got to be sure about their facts and stats because it's easy for customers, prospects, and audiences to verify them and spread the word to others.

The best approach is to always use sources. An erroneous source isn't good, but it won't kill your credibility. If you have no source, state clearly that you're making an estimate or basing a claim on personal experience.

Shakespeare wrote, "at length the truth will out." With today's technology the Bard might written, "rapidly the truth will out."

More Stupid Marketing Tricks at Ford

A little over a year ago, I wrote about Ford's use of the David Bowie song, "Ground Control to Major Tom," for the Lincoln MKS (read post here).  It seemed incredibly stupid to promote a car using a song that featured the following lyrics...

For here am I sitting in a tin can… Your circuit’s dead, there’s something wrong.

Guess what?  They're doing it again.  Here's the new ad for the Lincoln MKZ...



Cool ad, right? This time the song is "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Shiny New Toys. Check out the full lyrics...



The lyrics read...

Standing there alone, the ship is waiting.
All systems are go. are you sure?
Control is not convinced,
but the computer has the evidence
No need to abort.
The countdown starts

Watching in a trance, the crew is certain.
Nothing left to chance, all is working.
Trying to relax, up in the capsule
"Send me up a drink.", jokes Major Tom.
The count goes on

4, 3, 2, 1
Earth below us,
drifting, falling, floating weightless
calling, calling home

Second stage is cut.
We're now in orbit
Stabilizers up, runnning perfect.
Starting to collect requested data.
"What will it affect when all is done?"
thinks Major Tom

Back at ground control,
there is a problem.
"Go to rockets full"
Not responding.
"Hello Major To,. are you receiving?
Turn the thrusters on.
We're standing by."
There's no reply.

4, 3, 2, 1
Earth below us
drifting, falling, floating weightless
calling, calling home

Across the stratosphere, a final message
"Give my wife my love."
Then nothing more

Far beneath the ship, the world is mourning.
They don't realize, he's alive.
No one understands, but Major Tom sees.
Now the light commands
this is my home, I'm coming home."

Earth below us,
drifting, falling.
Floating weightless
coming home
(repeat)
home...

Why promote the technological advancements of a car with a song about the technological failure of a spaceship? Did any executives at Ford listen to the whole song before giving the agency approval? Apparently not.

Brand Reflection

Below is a presentation reminding marketers that prospects do not see themselves as they are, but as they want to be. The presentation creator suggests that your brand message should reflect and speak to the prospect's desired self-image. This is what Leo Burnett managed to achieve with the classic Marlboro Man ads.

It's also the basis of the Nike brand. Take a look at the following Nike wings poster. What does it do to sell shoes? Will Nike shoes give you Jordan's wingspan? Maybe not, but millions of Air Jordans were sold because people wanted to "be like Mike."



As the presentation notes, it's also what Dos Equis is attempting with their incredibly stupid ad series about "the most interesting man in the world." They're stupid because the guy in the ad says, "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis."

What are they trying to do? Based on the ad, I suspect the ad agency decided to position the Dos Equis brand as the beer for guys who don't drink beer. I'll give them this, it's not a crowded position (note: this is why ad agencies need adult supervision).

Flip through the presentation. The author makes his point well.

Risky Marketing

Photo: Robbert van der Steeg
Chuck McKay has a great post on marketing risk at the All Business blog. Do you follow the herd or are you willing to risk standing apart? Read...

Does a Successful Zebra Need Its Stripes?

Powerful Headlines…Powerful Copy…Powerful Sales

Photo: viZZZual.com
NOTE: I ran across the following article by John Schulte, president of the National Mail Order Association and author of Direct Marketing Toolkit for Small and Home based Business. It's really good. I asked John's permission to repost it on Comanche and he graciously gave me permission and sent along a complementary piece that will be posted later.

Bookmark this page and/or buy John's book because you will want to reference John's checklists again and again. If someone else creates your marketing, send a link to this page. I wish I'd written it. It's good stuff.

Matt


Powerful Headlines…Powerful Copy…Powerful Sales
By John Schulte

What words you use in your advertising and how you put them together can mean the success or failure of an advertisement. That’s why copywriters are called “wordsmiths” and the good ones get paid very well.

I have assembled this collection for you to have by your side when writing copy…so when you need an idea as you work you can refer to it as needed. Copywriting takes practice, to get good takes time. If you can’t afford to practice while you are selling, hire a pro. In the long run it will be better for you. Onward.

This is not a large-scale study, but the chief findings are significant; namely, the words you, new and how are outstanding.

Every copywriter should remember the value of hammering away at you, you, you, both in headlines and in copy.

Regarding new, David Ogilvy said: If you try hard enough, you can almost always use new in your copy.

Then there is the word how, which is in third place on the list. People want to know how to solve problems, how to get ahead, how to be attractive, how to win friends and how to end money worries.

So, the next time you write an ad or a direct-mail letter or a TV commercial, try to give your copy the benefit of these three important words: you . . . new . . . how.


WHAT ARE THE MOST PERSUASIVE WORDS IN ADVERTISING?

• suddenly
  
• miracle
  
• now
  
• magic
  
• announcing
  
• offer
  
• introducing
  
• quick
  
• improvement
  
• easy
  
• amazing
  
• wanted
  
• sensational
  
• challenge
  
• remarkable
  
• compare
  
• revolutionary
  
• bargain
  
• startling
  
• hurry

Ogilvy also said: Don't turn up your nose at these cliché’s. They may be shopworn, but they work. That is why you see them turn up so often in the headlines of mail-order advertisers and others who can measure the results of their advertisements."

Max Sackheim seconded this advice by reprinting Ogilvy's list of words in his book My First Sixty Years in Advertising.


AN ENLARGED LIST

I would like to enlarge on Ogilvy's list and give the aspiring copywriter an even greater range of words to choose from. In order to do this, I turned to the following:

• Successful direct marketing ads
  
• Successful direct-mail letters
  
• Mail order catalogs
  
• Textbooks on advertising
  
• Direct response classified advertising

I reviewed these and other sources, and tabulated the persuasive words that occurred most often. Listed below are the results of this analysis. For easy reference, the words are grouped under ten headings.


1. Words That Denote News
If you have news to tell, here are a number of ways to present it:

• announcing
  
• novel
  
• introducing
  
• modern
  
• presenting
  
• recent
  
• today
  
• latest
  
• new
  
• suddenly
  
• now
  
• revolutionary

2. Approval
People are more apt to buy if you can furnish evidence of the value of your product or service.

• recognized
  
• sanctioned
  
• authorized
  
• approved
  
• commended
  
• proven
  
• recommended
  
• accepted
  
• honored
  
• guaranteed
  
• acclaimed
  
• endorsed
  
• complimented
  
• certified
  
• popular
  
• tested
  
• lauded
  
• praised
  
• admired

3. Large Size
Here are words you can use if large size is a feature of your product:

• big
  
• tremendous
  
• large
  
• massive
  
• sizable
  
• gigantic
  
• huge
  
• voluminous
  
• vast
  
• mammoth
  
• enormous
  
• great
  
• spacious
  
• colossal

4. Surprising
The element of surprise or unusualness is an attractive fea¬ture in some cases.

• amazing
  
• fantastic
  
• astonishing
  
• extraordinary
  
• astounding
  
• exceptional
  
• startling
  
• notable
  
• surprising
  
• noteworthy
  
• singular
  
• striking
  
• sensational
  
• strange
  
• uncommon
  
• stunning
  
• unusual
  
• magic
  
• remarkable
  
• miracle

5. Quality
Every reader or listener is concerned with the quality of your product.

• good
  
• first-rate
  
• better
  
• choice
  
• fine
  
• unparalleled
  
• valuable
  
• unsurpassed
  
• remarkable
  
• unique
  
• exclusive
  
• terrific
  
• imported
  
• selected
  
• rugged
  
• special
  
• durable
  
• personalized
  
• improved
  
• limited
  
• excellent
  
• rare
  
• top
  
• genuine
  
• superior
  
• authentic
  
• greatest
  
• outstanding
  
• famous
  
• wonderful
  
• noted
  
• surpassing

6. Interest
The following words denote interest and apply mostly to books, booklets, pamphlets, etc.:

• absorbing
  
• stirring
  
• instructive
  
• entertaining
  
• informative
  
• enlightening
  
• interesting
  
• fascinating
  
• revealing
  
• exciting
  
• secrets
  
• profusely illustrated

7. Appearance
Sometimes the appearance of a product is its most important feature.

• beautiful
  
• classic
  
• elegant
  
• distinctive
  
• attractive
  
• fashionable
  
• flattering
  
• appealing
  
• handsome
  
• fascinating
  
• glamorous
  
• exquisite
  
• dramatic
  
• scenic
  
• captivating
  
• colorful
  
• charming
  
• lavish
  
• spectacular
  
• magnificent

SUMMING UP

In writing your copy, do not neglect the tested words and phrases that are used in direct marketing advertising. Keep the lists in this chapter handy. Look them over before you write. Refer to them often. Put some you, new and how to into your ad, letter or commercial. And before you write your Act now paragraph, review the action phrases that experienced ad writers have found helpful in promoting the thing that every advertiser wants . action.


8. Utility
There are times when the utility of a product is the important consideration.

• handy
  
• reversible
  
• helpful
  
• serviceable
  
• useful
  
• workable
  
• usable
  
• versatile
  
• practical
  
• powerful
  
• washable
  
• reliable

9. Money
Making money and saving money are topics of universal concern.

• wealth
  
• liberal
  
• fortune
  
• reduced (price)
  
• profitable
  
• lowest (price)
  
• bargain
  
• discount (price)

10. Miscellaneous
Here are useful words that apply in a variety of categories:

• quick
  
• successful
  
• quickly
  
• gift
  
• easy
  
• complete
  
• easily
  
• lifetime
  
• immediately
  
• absolutely
  
• hurry
  
• only (price)

The next time you write an ad, you may find it helpful to review these word lists. For example, if you have news to tell, take a look at the list of words that denote news. Do the same with the other lists.

Your copy will be improved if you include some of the persuasive words that have sold millions of dollars' worth of goods and services.


WHAT ARE THE MOST PERSUASIVE PHRASES IN ADVERTISING?
What are the persuasive phrases that are used again and again by direct marketing advertisers? Here are examples:


1. Free Offers
A review of direct marketing ads, letters, catalogs, etc., reveals that the most frequently used phrases are free offers.

• Yours free
  
• Free gift
  
• Booklet free
  
• Ask for free folder
  
• Free guide book
  
• Literature free
  
• Moneymaking facts free
  
• Free trial lesson
  
• Free to new members
  
• Free examination
  
• Free demonstration
  
• Free cost estimate
  
• Free consultation
  
• Try it ten days free
  
• Thirty-two-page catalog free
  
• Free plans for_________________
  
• Free sample
  
• Yours for the asking
  
• Test lesson free
  
• Free gift if you act at once

2. Charge Offers
Some advertisers charge a fee or require a postage stamp.

• Moneymaking facts free
  
• Free lesson, $.50
  
• $.25 brings details
  
• Stamp brings details
  
• $1.00 brings complete______________
  
• Free gift if you act at once
  
• Stamped envelope brings_______________
  
• Send $.25 to help cover postage and handling

3. News
If you have news to tell, it should be given prominence. It will increase response.

• Just arrived
  
• New here
  
• It's here
  
• New discovery
  
• New, improved
  
• New invention
  
• Important development
  
• The world's first ___________
  
• Just off the press
  
• Hot off the press
  
• Just published
  
• Just out
  
• Beginning (date)
  
• At last
  
• New method of ________
  
• New modernized__________
  
• Latest findings

4. How-To
People want to know how to do things-how to get ahead-how to solve problems-how to make money-how to enjoy life. In each of the following how phrases, you can com¬plete the phrase with your own solution to the prospect's problem.

• How to ________
  
• How to get __________
  
• How to have _________
  
• How to keep _________
  
• How to start ____________
  
• How to begin ___________
  
• How to become __________
  
• How to improve your _________
  
• How to develop __________
  
• How to get the most out of ________
  
• How to avoid ________
  
• How to end ________
  
• How to get rid of ________
  
• How to conquer How I ______
  
• How I improved my ___________
  
• How to enjoy How you can ________

5. Information
People buy magazines and newspapers and listen to broadcasts to get information. You can successfully compete for attention by telling your prospects the things they want to know.

• Seven ways to _________
  
• The truth about _________
  
• The one sensible way to _________
  
• Plain talks with _________
  
• Profitable tips for _________
  
• Confidential chats with ________
  
• Twenty tips for _________
  
• The common sense of ________
  
• Your one sure way to ________
  
• Guide to ________
  
• Helpful hints on ________
  
• Practical hints on __________
  
• Advice to _________
  
• What you should know about _________
  
• Facts you should know
  
• Mistakes you can avoid

6. Confidence Building
No matter how attractive your offer is, you must build believability into your ad. Here are phrases that will help.

• Award winning Seal of approval
  
• Founded (year)
  
• Established ________ years
  
• You risk nothing
  
• Make this test
  
• Over _________ thousands sold
  
• What others say (include testimonials)
  
• See before you buy
  
• Money back if not delighted
  
• Proved in laboratory tests
  
• If not delighted, just write Cancel on the bill.

7. Price
People are always looking for bargains. Here are some phrases that deal with price:

• Sale priced
  
• Only ten percent above wholesale/dealers cost
  
• Save up to $ ____________
  
• Less than half price
  
• Fantastic saving
  
• Price going up
  
• Price goes up (date)
  
• Order before the price goes up
  
• Never again at this price

8. Miscellaneous Phrases
Here are frequently used phrases that can work in a number of situations:

• Send no money
  
• No obligation
  
• No salesperson will call
  
• Special offer
  
• The key to ________
  
• Only $.25 a day
  
• Now you can ___________
  
• You don't have to be rich to _____________
  
• Money-saving offer
  
• The secret of __________
  
• Yours if you can qualify
  
• Do you have these symptoms of ________?
  
• Who else wants _________?
  
• From manufacturer to you
  
• Buy direct and save
  
• For quick information, call _________
  
• Orders shipped within 24 hours
  
• Easy payment plan

9. Immediate Action
Most folks tend to delay action. Urge them to act quickly. Or better still, give them a valid reason for quick action.

• Act now
  
• Don't delay
  
• Order now
  
• Order today
  
• Order now, pay later
  
• Delay may be serious
  
• Don't put it off
  
• Send today
  
• Send post card today
  
• Get started today
  
• Investigate today
  
• Act fast
  
• Be the first
  
• Rush name for details
  
• For a short time only
  
• While the supply lasts
  
• Price going up
  
• Supply limited
  
• Last chance

John Schulte is a Small Business Consultant and Direct Marketing Strategist. He is a 30-year veteran of advertising, marketing, publicity, promotions and sales. He is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of mail order, direct mail, cataloging and overall direct marketing. He is one of the few people in the United States that has been certified by a United States Federal Court as a Direct Marketing and Catalog expert, able to act as an expert witness in federally related corporate disputes. John is also president of the National Mail Order Association and author of Direct Marketing Toolkit for Small and Home based Business. http://www.nmoa.org/directmarketingtoolkit

Common Advertising Mistakes

This is a somewhat bizarre presentation on advertising mistakes that's dead on. Despite its weirdness (maybe because of it), I like it. Give it a look.

T-Shirt Marketing

Photo courtesy of Cosmic_Spanner

Jason Sadler came up with the idea of renting himself for part of his living. No, he's not renting himself in that kind of way. Pay the guy between $1 and $365 and he'll wear your t-shirt for a day. Jason's rental space sells out months in advance.

Jason's not simply wearing your shirt. He makes videos about wearing your shirt for YouTube and Ustream.tv. He's takes pictures wearing your shirt for his blog and Flickr. He posts on this blog and Twitter. He plugs your company in the blog and on his calendar.

Okay, so it's more than wearing your shirt and slouching around the house. Still, why pay someone to wear your shirt? Why not simply give your shirts to customers and prospects? They'll wear them for free.

When my wife was interviewing orthodontists, one of them gave my daughter a t-shirt. While we didn't select the orthodontist who gave Mackenzie the t-shirt, she wore it for several years. This is the equivalent of a homeowner selecting a different air conditioning contractor for a replacement, but allowing you to put a yard sign in the front yard one day a month for the next two years.

T-shirts are inexpensive giveaway items that help market your company. Why not give them away left and right?

By the way, come to the Service Roundtable's hospitality party at Comfortech and pick up one of our famous party t-shirts, while they last. We're also giving away a music CD you won't get anywhere else.

Creative Brilliance + Business Stupidity = The Nissan Barbie Ad

Nissan 300ZX

One of the all time great commercials is the Nissan Barbie spot. It's also one of the stupidest. If you don't remember it, watch:



When discussing the spot, the ad agency's creative director remarked, "I was just looking for something that could be dynamic. I couldn't believe it when Nissan bought it."

It's no wonder he got excited. The spot generated awards for agency and earned the creative director a guest spot on Oprah. There was even talk about an animated television series based on the commercial.

According to the creative director, Nissan executives instructed him, "'Let's do something different, let's break the rules.' To a creative person, that's as close to nirvana as it gets."

I'd say so. It's kind of like a politician going to a town hall meeting and encountering angry grass roots protesters calling for higher personal income taxes, more debt, government expansion, and greater spending.

Nissan spent over $1 million producing the spot and then made it the centerpiece of a $200 million ad campaign with placement on Seinfeld and Friends during their height and on Monday Night Football.

The head of the agency said, "People don't really like car advertising. It's all the same; it's all sheet metal, features and usually some kind of deal at the end. We're changing the rules of how car advertising can be done."

Yawn. Those boring calls to action. That stupid stuff that sells cars. This is post-advertising advertising.

Alarm klaxons should have sounded at Nissan over the agency head's comments.

Nissan did hire a marketing research company to test the spot, but the research firm asked the wrong questions. The research firm asked if people liked the spot. Of course they liked the spot. It's great. It's highly entertaining. It's also hugely ineffective.

A Nissan dealer commented at the time, "Yeah, it's cute, and everyone's talking about it. It's a good talking piece when you go to a party. Otherwise, nothing's really happening. The only time a commercial gets people coming in is when you put a price in it."

In other words, the commercial didn't drive people into the showroom, didn't drive leads, and didn't help increase sales. Why would it?

The ad, featuring the 300Z, started running in August 1996. Nissan ceased production of the Z in 1996 and didn't resume production until the launch of the 350Z in 2002!

Can you freaking believe an ad agency
would spend $1 million producing an ad
that's the centerpiece of a $200 million
campaign that features an obsolete product?
What if the ads drove sales? What if people packed dealer showrooms seeking Z cars? Can you hear the salespeople...

I know Nissan's advertising the Z, but that's corporate talking. They're a little behind the times. The Z car's obsolete. Yes, I can imagine you're disappointed. But hey, I've got a great deal on a Sentra.

This may be the greatest example in history of an agency run amok. The purpose of advertising is to drive sales. If you want to entertain prospects, buy movie passes. It's cheaper.

Source: New York Daily News, New York Times, & eHow.

Jack In The Box' Stupid Marketing Trick

A few months ago, I noticed a new Jack In The Box restaurant being constructed... with an entirely different logo. Some ad genius decided to update the brand, whether it needed it or not.

Actually, this isn't an update. It's a redesign. And as several advertising analysts have pointed out, the new brand logo looks more like a video game logo than a fast food hamburger restaurant logo. It hasn't been doing well in the unscientific preference surveys I've seen.

Personally, I don't have strong feelings one way or the other about the new logo. I do have strong feelings about radically redesigning a familiar and heavily advertised brand. If I ran Jack In The Box, there is NO FREAKING WAY I would allow some ad agency to jack with the Jack In The Box image.

I don't know who brought in the agency, Duffy & Partners, to redo the logo and I'm not questioning the work the agency did. I just wonder, "Why?"

Look at the cost the chain will have to endure. Look at the cost its franchisees will suck up to change the signage. I'm all for aggressive marketing during a downturn, but this isn't aggressive. It's a foolish expense.

Clearly something is wrong in the land of Jack if reports by ad guru, Jim Edwards are correct and Jack In The Box is buying local media in the New York market when the closest restaurant is in North Carolina.

Jack In The Box has benefitted from great advertising by the agency, Secret Weapon. The Jack character has been described as the anti-Ronald McDonald. Distinction is necessary for a player with a much smaller ad budget than its competitors. The Jack In The Box ad spots are designed to appeal to the 18 to 35 year old age group who finds shows like The Simpsons and Southpark amusing. Sometimes, however, I wonder if the ads use too many inside jokes about corporate life.

Still, the spots have been well done, always included an explicit or implicit call to action, and helped distinguish the company. On the whole, Jack has benefitted from solid work by its agency.

Fortunately for Jack, the competition leaves much to be desired. McDonalds is politically correct and bland. And the worst Jack In The Box commercial is far better than anything featuring the creepy Burger King. I bet the Burger King creeps you out too.

Jack In The Box will survive the logo change. But survival is not the same thing as benefitting.

Logo changes should be gradual, made over time, and made so that anyone familiar with the old logo won't doubt its connection with the new logo. This is true for any business, but especially small business. Small business owners simply do not have the budget to instantly redo a brand image that's been built over years.

Great Logo Designs

Great logo designs in this presentation. Watch it full screen.

Logos Tricks!

View more presentations from Ayman Sarhan.

What Does This Have To Do With Selling Insurance?

In church Sunday School, we're studying the Book (or Epistle) of James. If you're familiar with James, it contains the well-known passages about faith and works. An undercurrent of James is theme of doing the right thing.

During our discussion, one member of the class said she was reminded of the television commercials that focused on doing the right thing. She couldn't remember which company was reponsible for the ads. She thought it might be an insurance company. No one else could remember. Someone suggest All-State, but that was quickly rejected.

In the class of 20 odd people, three of us are marketing professionals. The immediate and near unison reaction of the marketers was, "Well, they aren't very good ads if no one can remember the company."

After a second or two, a couple of us announced the company with conviction. We KNEW it was Northwestern Mutual.

The clear purpose of the ads was to imply that the employees of Northwestern Mutual to do the right thing for us as customers by association with ads where people are doing the right thing.

Only it wasn't Northwestern Mutual. It was Liberty Mutual.

Here are two ads from the campaign...





The ads are beautiful. They make you feel good. I'm sure the writer, director, and producer of the spots are all proud of their work. Of course, as a former youth soccer coach, I've got to wonder where the heck the coach was in the second spot.

Yup, it's all good... except for Liberty Mutual.

The company is spending a fortune and the competitor benefits? I would rather run an obnoxious commercial that makes the phone ring than a CLIO winner, which fails to drive sales.

In an interview at BusinessWeek, Stephen Sullivan, Liberty's senior vice-president of communications services said the company's past approach to advertising was to, "interview hundreds of customers and find out what they wanted in an insurance company."

Makes sense to me. Find out what the customer wants or needs and provide it. But that straight forward, traditional approach to advertising is passé for Liberty and it's new agency, Hill Holliday.

Hill Holiday rejected the notion of talking with people who might buy insurance. According to Sullivan, the agency people said, "Wait a minute here. Why don’t we start inside and find out what is core to your company’s values from your employees' point of view."

What does this have to do with selling insurance? Nothing. But it has everything to do with selling advertising to an insurance company.

From an agency's perspective, it's a beautiful thing. Get inside the company. Talk with lots of people. Build relationships. Bond. Make it harder to ever get rid of the agency. Then, build an ad campaign that makes company employees feel better about themselves.

Sullivan said the positioning line selected was, "We will celebrate our customers’ responsibility and relentlessly prove our own."

What does this have to do with selling insurance? And not just insurance, but auto insurance specifically? You see, Liberty Mutual already had a problem with consumers confusing the auto insurer with a life insurance company. The responsibility theme is likely to add to the confusion since it's more in line with a life insurance theme (i.e., responsibility for your survivors).

According to Sullivan, people will think, "Liberty mutual is a company that shares my values. I’m going to get my insurance from them."

Really? Is that how you buy car insurance? Do you look for a company that shares your sense of personal responsibility? Is that the key motivation for selecting one insurance company over another?

Lesley Bielby, the chief strategy officer for Hill Holliday was also interviewed by BusinessWeek about the Liberty campaign. She starts talking about "cultural and social shifts," "ideas that transcend advertising," and creating "something much bigger than the ad it was launched with."

How about something that sells insurance?

Bielby notes that the company's goal was to become one of the top five in its category and notes with pride, "They managed to achieve that goal essentially in less than three short years," before acknowledging the success was, "largely through acquisitions."

Acquisitions? Liberty Mutual turned into an insurance consolidator and in classic fashion paid stupid premiums for the companies it acquired, like the 51% premium to buy Safeco. This acquisition alone bumped the sales volume by 29%. But what did it do for the shareholders?

According to Report Buyer:

The [Liberty Mutual] group recorded revenues of $25,961 million in the financial year ended December 2007, an increase of 10.4% over 2006. The operating profit of the group was $2,198 million in the financial year 2007, a decrease of 2.7% over 2006. The net profit was $1,518 million in the financial year 2007, a decrease of 6.6% over 2006.

Doesn't sound like the shareholders benefitted. This brings us back to the advertising. How do you measure the impact of an advertising campaign on a company that's growing by acquisition and making less money?

Like any good agency executive, Bielby's got a ready reply and it doesn't include increased sales, marketing research validating increased awareness, or other outdated approaches. "Results can come in many different forms," she notes.

"In the case of liberty mutual the most gratifying thing for them and also for us as an agency are some of the letters and emails that we’ve been reading around how people are using responsibility."

Huh? I think she said everyone can feel good because they got some nice mail about how responsible they are being responsible. How about the agency's responsibility to the client?

"We’ve had letters from schools and colleges about how they’ve used the ad to provoke a discussion about responsibility and what it means in our society," she beams.

Excellent! And how many policies were written because of collegiate discussions about the role of responsibility in our society?

It gets even better for Liberty Mutual. Using client money, Hill Holliday has launched The Responsibility Project to showcase films and mini-films about responsibility. Check them out. They're entertaining. They're well done. But they don't sell insurance.

Note how the discussion below each film is filled with comments like the following...

Because of your film about a guy who would rather play the trumpet than basketball, I'm going to buy my car insurance from Liberty Mutual. Good job!

Forget the best deal. Any company that will pay for the production of a film about an irresponsible Brit and his dog driving irresponsibly through British city streets is reason enough to pick you over the Gecko.

Forget accident protection, I want to buy my insurance from a company with a film about a guy who keeps his blind date from stealing from a dinner party host.

Not.

This is the perfect example of an ad agency that's self-actualizing on the client's dime. As consumers we may be entertained, but we aren't given much of a reason to buy (and that's being generous).

Meanwhile, the competition is focused on buyer benefits...

• Geico: save money; easy to buy
  
  
• AllState: accident forgiveness
  
  
• Progressive: save money; easy comparisons

Ad great David Ogilvy once said, "A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself."

As a business owner you should demand no less.

(c) 2009 Matt Michel

Outdoor Advertising

View this presentation of different, creative types of outdoor advertising (watch it in full screen mode)...

advertising stunts and ideas Q2|2008

View more presentations from Ayman Sarhan.

People Trust Brand Websites

This is stunning research data from the Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey. I wish the survey had included direct marketing, such as direct mail, shared mail, door hangers, flyers, and shows. Still, it reveals that websites carrying the company brand are more likely to be trusted than any other form of advertising, save word-of-mouth.

Forget Advertising Trends - 80% of Your Advertising Will Be Wasted If You Make This Common Mistake

By John Jantsch @ Duct Tape Marketing

It is a scientifically proven fact that 5 times as many people read headlines as read the body copy of an ad. So with the headline, you've spent about 80% of your advertising dollar. So from there it's pretty easy to make a case that the headline is the most important part of any ad.

Yet, a very large percentage of advertising that you see out there doesn't even carry a headline. Those that do tend towards cute, catchy slogans. By headline I mean a benefit rich offer that grabs you by the throat.

It doesn't matter what format your advertising takes - postcards, letters, print ads, radio or TV ads and even web sales copy. When you understand this then you begin to realize that should use 80% of your marketing time and energy getting your headlines perfect.

Now I must admit I have found a way to cheat. Oh it's not really cheating. Creating great headlines takes practice, patience, and a fair amount of creativity. I have found a software program that does the hard work and allows you to create power packed headlines in seconds. You can do the work yourself but this makes it much more fun. The program is called Headline Creator Pro. I use it daily!

The headline is the first thing that your reader or prospect sees when they open your letter or flip your postcard. In that moment (about 5 seconds) your reader decides whether or not to read any farther.

So first and foremost your headline must grab your reader's attention. If you don't grab them by the throat and hold them right away, you never will.

Writing powerful headlines is not easy but it can be done if you follow some simple guidelines. Some of the most powerful and effective headlines of all time contain at least 3 of the following points

1. Your headline must give the reader a reason to act now instead of later

2. Your headline must communicate something the reader considers valuable

3. Your headline must scream how you might offer something that is unique

4. Your headline must point to something very specific for the reader

Using these points as a guide to create your headlines allows you to create headlines that hook your reader quickly, offers them a benefit they want, and gives them a reason to read on.

On top of getting your prospects attention, great headlines can also let the reader know that they are the target for your services, stir curiosity, offer a promise or guarantee, challenge the reader, or let the reader know that you understand their needs.

Never use boring, conventional or overused statements and never use a headline to trick your reader into looking on.


20 Attention Getting Power Words for Your Headlines

Discover

Easy

Free

New

Proven

Save

Results

Introducing

At Last

Guarantee

Bargain

Easy

Quick

Sale

Why

How To

Just Arrived

Now

Announcing

Here are some headlines that fall in the "Headline Hall of Fame" category for their design and their effectiveness over time.

How Many of these mistakes are causing your to work harder

A LITTLE MISTAKE THAT COST A FARMER $3,000 A YEAR

WHY SOME PEOPLE ALMOST ALWAYS MAKE MONEY IN THE STOCK MARKET

HOW TO PLAN YOUR HOUSE TO SUIT YOURSELF

How Banks Play Tricks With Interest Rates

Burn Disease Out of Your Body lying flat on your back using nothing but the palm of your hand

What food to never ever eat on an airplane

Start of by writing some headlines that clearly communicate your promise, benefit or USP. Then look for ways to make them even more powerful by adding a power word or two and checking if they contain at least 3 of the guidelines provided above.

~~~~~

John Jantsch is the owner of Jantsch Communications, a marketing consulting firm located in Kansas City, Mo. He is the creator of Duct Tape Marketing, a fully-customizable turn-key marketing system. You can reach him at 816-561-3931 or john@ducttapemarketing.com

Would An Ad Jingle Help Your Company?

The Hobaicas think so. Years ago, Phoenix based Hobaica Refrigeration hired a company to prepare of series of jingles. Paul Hobaica played the jingles for his family to get their reactions. He said he choose You'll Lik A Hobaica after catching his kids singing it the next morning. It was sticky. It was memorable. And through the years, it helped build the Hobaica brand in the Phoenix market. The jingle is contained in the commercial below.



According to AdAge, the top ten jingles of the 20th Century are:

1. You Deserve a Break Today (McDonalds)


2. Be All That You Can Be (U.S. Army)


3. Pepsi Cola Hits The Spot (Pepsi Cola)


4. M'm M'm Good (Campbell's Soup)


5. See The USA In Your Chevrolet (General Motors)


6. I Wish I Were An Oscar Mayer Weiner (Oscar Mayer)


7. Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun (Wrigley's)


8. Winston Tastes Good Like a Cigarette Should (Winston)


9. It's The Real Thing (Coca-cola)


10. A Little Dab'll Do Ya (Brylcreem)


So what do all of these jingles have in common? It seems to me there are three common traits. First, the jingles are catchy. They get inside your head and you find yourself repeating them.

Second, they were pounded on the airwaves. The advertisers didn't run the jingles a few times, but over and over and over. As a small business owner you may not think you can afford a lot of advertising, but you might be surprised. Cable TV can be segmented to individual communities. The spots might only cost a few dollars each.

Radio can also be affordable, especially if you pick one station and concentrate on it to get the necessary repetition. Just make sure the station's audience matches your target demographic. If women age 35 and up call your company for service, don't advertise on the sports talk station, even if it's your favorite.

Finally, it's been years (even decades) since these jingles last aired, yet they're still memorable. Could you finish, "Two all beef patties, special sauce..." I can and I haven't heard this Big Mac ad in decades.

Build up a jingle's memorability through repetition and it will continue to work for years, even if you get bored with it and move on to something else.

Of course, if a jingle works, why would you ever drop it? Don't drop advertising just because you're tired of it. No one tunes into your name as much as you. Usually an ad is finally starting to sink in about the time the owner is sick of it and wants to try something else.

Las Vegas Roundtable - October 25-27

Service Roundtable members asked for a fall Roundtable. They asked for Las Vegas. We listened.

Hosted at the fabulous Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino, the Las Vegas Roundtable is a wholly new program with an equal focus on HVAC and Plumbing. This power packed two day meeting features some of the most demanded speakers in the industry, plus highly interactive Roundtable breakouts.

Nowhere else in the industry will you get Mark Matteson, Robert C. Viering, Charlie Greer, Ron Smith, and me together for a two day event. You do not want to miss this.

Learn More About The Las Vegas Roundtable

21 Free Marketing Ideas