Posted by Scott Dunn on August 20, 2008
Stride Gum has a YouTube four-and-a-half minute world-wide dance routine that has achieved over 20 million viewers. It makes you smile and want to get up and dance.
How many sticks of gum has it sold? Don’t know.
I think that it’s now very important for advertising to be liked. Not like the old show-and-tell days, when all you needed was a benefit and a reason-why.
But how do the marketers of Stride Gum hope it works? I guess the sequence is—
- I identify with (like) this brand, because
- It makes me want to dance, and that is true because
- It makes a lot of people want to dance, therefore
- I will buy Stride Gum.
Maybe that’s all implied, but I am so old-fashioned that I think it has to be stated, it must be true, and that the brand name must somehow be linked to the benefit.
What’s the buzz, and where’s the beef?
Small budget advertisers must make their dollars stretch far. Once it awhile a Stride may be a stride ahead (intended), but all froth must fizzle. “It’s not creative unless it sells” and “Advertising is salesmanship” are good words to live by.
Viral Advertising of course is Word of Mouth gone bonkers. It works short term— like an endorsement from a friend. How many times have heard this conversation—
“Hey, have you seen the ad about—-”
“No. Who’s it from?”
“I forget.”
Does Viral Advertising have the seeds (germs?) of its own demise? Its unfortunate connotations are about disease, spreading destruction and death.
Branding is based on a substantial benefit and a continual delivery of that promise. Healthy brands are self-nourishing, growing, and vibrant. Lawyers are advised if your argument is weak, shout louder. If your brand is weak, make noises and hope it spreads.
George Lemmond
Posted in Advertising | Tagged: advertise in alpharetta, advertise in atlanta, advertise in johns creek, advertise in milton, advertise in north fulton, Advertising, atlanta, GA, gnfcc, greater north fulton chamber of commerce, jcba, jccc, marketing, metro atlanta chamber, north fulton, Scott Dunn, scott t. dunn, small business advertising, Town Planner Calendar, townplanner, townplannerga | 3 Comments »
Posted by Scott Dunn on August 20, 2008
Are you giving away the farm when you give away some of your product? Are you giving away your secrets, and not protecting your family’s jewels?
Assuming you are a believer in your product and are proud of it, sampling is the most potent arrow in your marketing quiver.
If a picture is worth a hundred words, then a taste is worth a thousand pictures. One definition of a sample is, “A representative part from a larger whole presented for inspection as evidence of quality.” How could there be a smarter prelude to winning marketing?
Some of the greatest food chains are Wegman’s (Rochester, NY) and Whole Foods.
You can’t get out of one of their stores hungry, because the have fed you with delicious samples. And it’s hard to leave without spending a bundle.
There are many ways, other than eating, to sample your goods:
- Barnes Noble wants you to read books, so they make that inviting and easy. They don’t care if you mess up their displays or spill coffee. You will ultimately buy books.
- A good car dealer lets you take a car home for the weekend.
- A masseuse gives you a free neck rub.
- The “spritzer” in Macy’s cosmetics aisle gives you a breath of alluring air.
- A financial planner or a marketing consultant gives you a free hour of advice.
- A stand-up comedian starts with a chuckle, and preacher invokes hope.
It’s important to note that sampling should not be a preview of the price. It’s a demonstration of the confidence in your product. Don’t compete on price: only Wal*Mart can succeed in that game. Don’t give away too much.
Suppose that you are in a play-off with two others for a new customer, and you are each given thirty seconds. The first two gave good, succinct “elevator speeches.” Then it’s your turn. You announce your name, your brand’s main benefit, and bestow a sample. Guess who wins.
George Lemmond
Posted in marketing | Tagged: about u, advertise atlanta, Advertising, advertising alpharetta, advertising alpharetta ga, advertising ga, advertising georgia, advertising johns creek, advertising roswell, advertising sandy springs, alpharetta advertising, appen, appen newspaper, b2b advertising, Borders Books, buckhead, business post, city of milton advertising, gnfcc, greater north fulton chamber of commerce, jccc, johns creek advertising, johns creek chamber, marketing, metro atlanta chamber, money mailer, roswell advertising, savvy shoper, savy shoper, Scott Dunn, scott t. dunn, small business advertising, small business marketing, target market, Town Planner Calendar, townplanner, townplannerga, val pak, Whole Foods | 3 Comments »
