Drive Time for Radio

If you're in the radio industry, you should read yesterday's piece in MediaPost entitled Possible Automotive Media ReThink.

The article summarizes an analysis conducted by BIGResearch that measures the gaps that exist between how ad dollars are spent versus what consumers say works best when it comes to buying a car.

The big loser is TV, where automotive manufacturers spend at a rate that is roughly 2.5X greater than what is necessary based on consumer inputs.

The big winners are radio and outdoor. The spending model would have radio getting 21.5% of media dollars when it now gets less than 3%. Outdoor's under-allocation is even more pronounced with about 1% of current spending versus an ideal level of 14.6%.

It is important to note that these spending figures cover dollars spent by the Big Three manufacturers. Nonetheless, I think it has tremendous relevance for local dealership spending because it clearly supports the fact that radio is important when consumers are shopping for a car.

Perhaps the best way to get around TV's default as a visual medium, is for the radio and outdoor industry's to band togetehr to create compelling cross-platform programs that go head-on against local TV.

So, get out there and sell some radio time so that I don't have to keep seeing those awful Tom Gill TV spots during every freaking commercial break!

My Kindle Dilemma

In the movie "Anchorman," Will Ferrell’s smarmy protagonist, Ron Burgundy, is putting the moves on his sexy new colleague, Veronica Corningstone. "I'm kind of a big deal," says Burgundy. "I have many leather-bound books."

I recalled this scene as I familiarized myself with the new Kindle my wife gave me for Christmas. I was skeptical of Kindle. I enjoy the tactile aspects of reading...curling up in bed each night with one of my many leather-bound books (You know...I'm really kind of a big deal!). But it didn't take very long for me to become Kindleized.

Kindle's print is large and legible. It has a built-in dictionary feature that can be used to help define obscure words. If you come across an interesting quote, the page can be stored in a separate clipping file. And for about nine bucks a best seller, it really makes reading cost efficient.

The problem, of course, is that books stored digitally through Kindle can not be displayed in all of their leather-bound glory in my home library. Who among us doesn't spend a fair amount of time deciding which authors and titles get prime display space so as to impress our visitors? I love my collection of "The Onion---Year in Review." But if you visit my home and browse my library, it will be Camus' "The Stranger" that will catch your attention. After all, a library, more than any other aspect of one's home, speaks volumes about who we want the world to believe we are.

I suspect my strategy will be to continue enjoying the value and simplicity of Kindle while searching garage sales and used book sales for just the right leather-bound versions of the classics for my home library.

Simply Ex(mas)hausted!

I went to the mall this past Sunday.  I really didn't need to go, but my son and I just went to burn some time and look for last minute gift ideas.  

As would be expected, the mall was packed and an air of Christmas frenzy was pervasive throughout.  But instead of igniting any latent Christmas spirit that might have been trapped inside, my trip to the mall resulted in an almost overwhelming sense of exhaustion.  I felt drained and anxious.  Not even an Annie's Pretzel could quell my feeling of being disoriented as I wandered aimlessly past window after window of merchandise that was neither interesting or attractive.  

Upon reflection, it occurred to me that my bout with exhaustion was, perhaps, emblematic of what is now happening in the economy.  I think we are exhausted by the demands of consumerism.  It's very possible that this economic melt-down is really a badly needed consumer time-out.  There is actually some macro-economic support for my theory.

In the post-war years, the GDNP was fueled in equal parts by business investment and consumption.  America's prosperity was driven, in large part, by a healthy and vital entrepreneurial environment.  

Starting in the 80's, the game began to change.  Instead of business investment being a key driver to growth, the burden began shifting to consumption.  Today, consumers fuel more than 70% of the GDNP.  The penultimate example of this shift to a consumption based economy was the creation of creative financing that allowed more Americans than ever to partake of the dream of home ownership.  Nobody ever thought to ask if the dream was realistic.  We just plowed forward on the arrogant belief that every American should have a nice home and bigger car(s).

Well, everyone knows how the strategy backfired, leading us into the mess that plagues the economy today.   What is clear (and has been clear longer than anybody wants to acknowledge) is that consumption cannot sustain the economy.  Not everyone can afford a home in the suburbs.  Not everyone can maintain four over-extended credit cards without having to pay some consequence.

I realized, in the days following my trip to the mall that I was exhausted by the burden of being an American consumer.  There is too much pressure on me to keep the engine churning and to buy more crap that I neither need or want.  So, we cut back this year, not out of financial necessity but out of a need to simply take a break and let the economic cards fall where they may.  Perhaps America is going through a collective "consumption colonic" the results of which will be a healthier awareness of how we "use" money.

Wow...that was a little over-the-top, but it's my blog and I can do with it what I want.  If anyone happens to read this, I'd love to know if you are having consumption exhaustion...and, if so, how are you handling it.  Do you feel responsible for perpetuating the consumption ethos in this country?  

Happy Holidays

The Future is...Yesterday!

I have been on extended hiatus from this blog...for no other reason than, well, I have.

I have a full notebook of stuff to riff on. But I want to come out of the blocks with a piece that I'm sure many of you have seen. It is incredibly powerful...almost scary powerful.

It was produced by Sony and is called "Did You Know"

Watch it. Watch it again. I've already watched it three times (no, not during working hours).

What is most frightening, I suppose, is the thought that our kids and our education system are simply behind...and behind in a way that makes me realize that we will likely, never catch up. Here's a stat: India has more honor (high IQ) kids than the U.S. has kids!

Anybody out there have any thoughts on this.

If so, I'd like to get them... yesterday!

Why I Love NPR

In the final analysis, advertising, brand engagement, consumer connections, et. al., is about story telling. We tell stories in an attempt to build an emotional bridge to someone who we define as a target.

The default for story-telling in our business has become "the visual." Magazines, TV, YouTube...somehow, it is easier and more compelling to tell a story with through the magic of sight, sound, motion, etc.

In our quest for visual impact, radio, or the art of creating theatre of the mind has been, for the most part, been left by the way-side. Radio is not cool.

But radio done right can be the most engaging of media. I was thinking about this on the way to work this morning. The news stories on NPR are almost always engaging and the "visuals" in my mind, more compelling than anything I would see on CNN. A few weeks ago, a female reporter did a story from inside San Quentin prison and it was the most riveting theatre I have experienced in a long time. I'm providing the link to the San Quentin story...it's worth five minutes of your time.

Various studies indicate that people are 2-3X more likely to remember something they hear than see. Maybe it's time to give radio another look...sorry, listen!

Any NPR lovers out there?

An Ode to Marriage

I don't post videos all that often...but this is worth the investment of time:

Flight of the Concords

"OMG Doug, R U Wearing a Speedo???"

If you didn't notice, 24 of the first 25 swimming Gold Medals have gone to Speedo endorsers (the lone outcast was wearing a polyester leisure suit).

I'm sure the folks at Speedo are thrilled. In fact, they are so giddy that they are planning their first consumer advertising campaign to support the new body suit.

Here's the problem: according to a highly accurate regression analysis I recently completed, 96.4% of all United States citizens SHOULD NOT be permitted in a public place wearing anything emblazoned with the word Speedo.

I actually wore a Speedo once (many years ago) to a public pool and and was held underwater for 8 minutes by two lifeguards and Mrs. Spak #1. Speedos are for people who are serious swimmers. Speedos are not for people who lay on big floaty things and guzzle beer all day.

So, here's the deal: unless you can do the 100 meter freestyle in less than an hour, do us all a favor and stick with the big, baggy, drawstring swim suits sold at Kmart.

Advertiser Video Contest #2,345,672!

Here is the latest addition to the rapidly expanding world of "video contests."

Go to Klondike Contest to see the finalists in the "What Would You Do For a Klondike" contest. I have to admit that I got a chuckle out of a few of these.

I like one of the comments: "This is like a real commercial." Which raises the bigger question: what defines a "real commercial" in today's world of amateur Mad Men?

What's your favorite spot...and do you like Klondikes?

Pass The Explosives!!

Originally written 8/5/08

As part of the chain-wide renovation of its 900+ restaurants, Ruby Tuesday pulled off an interesting stunt today. In TV spots, they promised to blow up one of their oldest locations to introduce their new "It's a whole new Tuesday" campaign.

So, here was the stunt: the Ruby Tuesday's representative is set up across the street from the tired looking Ruby Tuesday's. He hits the detonator and nothing happens. The camera slowly pans left to reveal an O'Charleys restaurant one second before it is destroyed by the blast. The camera pans back to the Ruby Tuesday's guy who is "aghast" at his tragic mistake.

OK, they got me to watch. But they sure didn't make me feel better about Ruby Tuesday's by blowing up an O'Charleys.

Another ideation session run amuck!

Are The Olympics Relevant?

Originally written 8/1/08

When I was young, I loved the Olympics...especially the Summer Games. There was something very authentic about the games, despite the fact that the East German women had more facial hair than I did.

Maybe it was that athletes weren't as revered (or despised in some cases) as those of today's generation. Maybe it was because there was this US/USSR, "us vs them" drama that seemed to serve as the foundation of the games. Maybe it was before 24 hours, global sports and news coverage.

I think my disenchantment with the Olympics started with The Dream Team and the hype surrounding their dominance of the first games to allows pro athletes.

Nonetheless, the Olympic Brand still is strong based on a recent study of the major sporting events. I just wonder if this is residual equity that is driven by those old enough to remember the games when they were interesting. The TV ratings continue to decline and are expected to contiune as such this year.

I'll watch certain events out of curiousity...but not with the same level of interest as years past.

How important are the Olympics to you?

Pass the Twizzlers

As a movie lover, I was intrigued when I saw an article about Hershey's Mega Movie Promotion.

The concept is relatively simple: you collect and send in a bunch of UPC codes from Hershey's Bag Candy and get a free movie ticket (valued at $8.50). Seems like a reasonable value based on a simple insight that candy and movies go together. Unfortunately (and as often happens in the world of marketing), Hershey's failed to transform a decent idea into a simple, compelling marketing program.

This could be a much stronger promotion with a bit more investment and a few tweaks:

• Match the value of the free ticket to the cost of the most expensive movie ticket in the U.S. Wouldn't you be pissed if you lived in New York and had to shell out another $2 because your $8.50 voucher didn't cover the cost of your ticket. This makes Hershey look cheap!
  
• Simplify redemption (maybe the biggest lesson for marketers). The process of taking a "tear one pad" from the grocery store or going on-line to download a redemption coupon is so '80's. Provide a process whereby UPC codes can be entered online to speed up the redemption process.
  
• Same theme: broaden the offerings and make the redemption points equal for each line item. I shouldn't be penalized for liking Twizzlers (3 redemption points) more than Hershey's other products (5 redemption points).
  
• Shorten the length of the promotion; it will lose energy running through March 2009.
  
• Do a little off-line advertising to heighten awareness and create interest. The only way consumers find out about this is through on-line banner and in-store. Wouldn't a cinema ad be interesting, relevant and engaging? Or possibly radio?
  

The big idea, in my opinion, is to link the promotion concept with brand advertising to create a truly integrated marketing program. I think this could have been a lot stronger program for Hershey if they put a little more energy into the initial idea.

DS

Non Stop Laugh-Fest

If I see this review blurb on any movie ad, I RUN as fast as possible in the other direction.

I've only seen one, non-stop, laugh-fest in my many years of film-watching and that was "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." It still is a non-stop laugh-fest after about the 100th viewing. Fortunately, I hadn't seen a review blurb (promising a "non-stop laugh-fest") prior to my first viewing of the Holy Grail, otherwise I may have run in the other direction and missed out on years and years of enjoyment.

A trailer for the new Kevin Costner film, "Swing Vote," ran on Good Morning America today, proclaiming it as a "non-stop laugh-fest." Now, I like Kevin Costner. But, with the exception of "Waterworld" and "Dancing with Wolves," it is pure folly to associate his name with any film that is a non-stop laugh-fest.

Which brings me to the point of this blog: movie reviews. I recently discovered Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, two sites dedicated to extensive reviews of the arts (including games). Both sites amalgamate reviews from top critics across the country with reviews from every-day schmos like us. It's great to get the good, bad and ugly...along with an average score that gives you the down-low on a film.

Had I known about these sites, I could have saved much time and money by avoiding M. Night's "The Happening" (34 out of 100 Metacritic score), Will Smith's "Hancock" (49) and Adam Sandler's "Don't Mess with the Zohan." (54). Unfortunately, I probably still would have had to suck it up and go with my wife to see "Sex and the City." (53).

So, now, if a film gets a 95 rating and more than one person calls it a "non-stop laugh fest" I might be inclined to give it a go.

(Star) Bursting With Stuff

Written July 18

Check out the new Starburst web-site.

Talk about going non-traditional...there is so much going on in this site. Some of it is very interesting and some of it is very lame.

They are putting a lot of emphasis on videos in their marketing efforts. For example, they have a series of professionally-produced :60 videos that are actually quite funny. To compliment the professional videos, they have enlisted three of the more popular vloggers to create Starburst-themed videos. These vloggers aren't very good and, I believe, don't add much to the Starburst story.

Starburst is also sponsoring an animated, on-line series called Nite Fite with the characters Penalty and Lloyd. Not very funny, in my opinion.

I wanted to share this because there is some interesting stuff here and it is a good example of how marketers are "dabbling" per my earlier post. However, there are so many different things happening here...and not all of it is integrated behind a single idea.

I think is a terrific example of how we continue to try and find that balance between "quirky and engaging" and sound marketing.

Starburst has given it a good shot.

TGI Summer of Slurpee!

OK...something stupid. I saw an article on the Summer of Slurpee and thought about how stupid it sounded. Here is my take on it:

Dallas-based 7-Eleven convenience stores are set to launch its most ambitious marketing program to date: "The Summer of Slurpee."

"We realize that it's been a difficult year for many Americans," said a spokesperson for 7-Eleven. "Soaring gasoline prices, a sagging economy, global warming, home foreclosures, brush fires, floods and the continued, yet unexplainable success of "The Price is Right Primetime" are helping to contribute to a growing sense of despair and hopelessness among average Americans, as well as the cast of "High School Musical 3.0. So we thought, 'what better way to help someone who has been devastated by natural disaster or stupid financial planning, than by giving them the opportunity to enjoy a classic 7-Eleven Slurpee!'"

Throughout the summer, Slurpee "street teams" will visit malls, beaches, Humvee dealerships and towns washed downstream by raging Mississippi River flood-waters. The Slurpee street teams will be handing out t-shirts, beech towels, FREE Slurpee certificates and autographed photos of Clay Aiken. Added the 7-Eleven spokesperson: "We think the Summer of Slurpee will be a big hit, especially with families across America who have lost everything in recent months."

Anyone wanting to learn where they can find a "Summer of Slurpee Street Team" can log onto 7-Eleven's special micro-site: www.ineedafreakingslurpeejusttosurvivethisshit.com

"And That's The Way It WAS!"

Written June 27

There are not many among us who can remember the days when Walter Cronkite ended each broadcast of the CBS Evening News with the iconic sign-off: "And that's the way it is."

In the days when CBS dominated news coverage, Cronkite was considered the most trusted person in America. I can still remember him holding our collective hands in the hours and days following JFK's assassination. And his almost giddy, child-like enthusiasm when Neil Armstrong was taking man's first stroll on the surface of the moon. In fact, many would argue that Cronkite's weekly Vietnam casualty counts fueled the anti-war movement and ultimately brought an end to that painful chapter in America's history.

My "waxing nostalgic" was prompted by yet another report released today showing the continued free-fall of network news audiences. Cable news outlets now have a collective 58% share of all news viewing...up from 54% just a year ago. Most notably, CBS Evening News has lost 27% of its audience since the last presidential election. One can easily surmise that this may be the final year that the major networks report on presidential elections as they have become irrelevant in the face of 24-hour coverage and immediate e-mail bulletins.

This post is not to argue for a return to the "good old days." Yet, it sometimes feels as if the unfettered, constant access to news dampens the spirit and, quite often, fuels our most base fears. Plus, the increasingly vitriolic partisan "reporting" (on both sides) is, I believe, creating a culture of cynicism (and cruelty) that is numbing.

Yes, I think dialogue is important in a free society. But sometimes, it would just be nice to have Walter telling me that everything will be all-right just for today...instead of Bill O'Reilly giving me tonight's "pin-head" report.

ds

That's Entertainment

Written June 25

Every morning I scroll through my on-line version of The New York Times. If I see something interesting, I'll click and read the article.

On Sunday morning, the Times takes on an entirely different role in my life as I gather the hefty, hard-copy from my front lawn and, coffee in hand, retire to my back deck to read each section of the paper from front to back.

These are two different experiences...one is functional and information-driven. The other is for relaxation and enjoyment...with information secondary. I almost never see or pay attention to a banner ad on NYT.com. But the advertising in the "real" NY Times is actually part of the reading experience. I particularly love ads for store like Barney's.

Last week, the Times ran a story about a recently-released Yankelovich study called When Advertising Works The study revealed that advertising which appears in traditional media is "much more likely" to make a positive impression than ads in digital media.

The reason for this is simple...and relates to my New York Times story. People who are involved with traditional media are "in a more positive mood and more likely to be interested in entertainment and relaxation." By contrast, people who are using digital media are "in more busy moods, seeking control or solving problems."

Entertainment and "release" have always been the cornerstones of traditional media...and the reason why advertising has prospered. Digital platforms are essentially about information gathering...even within the world of social networking.

Indeed, these two worlds are colliding and people will continue to have many choices as to how they are entertained...many of which sans advertising. But I believe there will always be a place for media that allows people to take a break from information overload...and relax with the Sunday Times or the semi-finals of American Idol.

Orwell That Ends Well!

Written June 16

The foundation of engagement marketing is built on the notion that technology will continue to give advertisers unprecedented access to consumers...along with sophisticated metrics that more accurately define those consumers.

In this regard, companies like TruMedia Technologies and Quividi have been getting a lot of press lately in reaction to their expanding portfolios of "real time" audience measurement tools. Products such as ICapture automatically capture and detect the faces of viewers who pass by billboards, bus shelters and other types of out-of-home displays.

Several weeks ago, The New York Times ran an excellent piece called Billboards That Look Back which juxtaposed the promise of these new technologies with the obvious privacy issues that they bring to the fore.

Some might scoff at those who raise concerns that we are heading towards an Orwellian society in which the government uses this advancing technology for surveillance and control of the masses. However, it wasn't too long ago that a number of the major telecoms worked with the National Security Agency on warrantless wiretaps of U.S. citizens.

I think the fascinating question behind this debate is this: how passive will consumers be in the face of increased treading into their personal space. Orwell's premise for "1984" was about the passivity (and ultimately, ignorance) of the masses. But I might argue that technology is rendering passivity as a thing of the past. Blogs are allowing people to become actively involved in the public discourse, hopefully keeping government in check and preventing an Orwellian future.

Perhaps Steven Jobs and Chiat-Day were right when they closed the iconic TV commercial 1984 with the tag-line "And you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984."

Are you concerned about an Orwellian future?

Maybe It's Not What You Know

Written June 13

I once read a story about a Buddhist monk who gave only one lesson to his students: "Practice don't know."

The lesson, of course, is about the ego's need to be right, better, wiser and more successful than the next person. I know this lesson would be lost on most people who work in the ego-less business of advertising!!!

But I think the notion of "not knowing" is very relevant in today's increasingly complex marketing world. The reality is that the more complex our world becomes, the less we know about what truly works. Yet, as counselors to our clients, we feel compelled to always "know" the answers and be the experts. But, all one needs to do is read the pundits who write about our business to know that nobody really knows which end is up...everyone has an opinion and each opinion is equally valid. But no individual is really right.

Anyway, this post was prompted by a piece in MediaPost this morning called Acknowledging What You Don't Know It was an interesting take on how we can use our "not knowing" to become wiser and, at the end of the day, more well informed.

How are you at "not knowing?"

Research Envy

Written June 4

Starcom MediaVest just completed a year-long, $500,000, world-wide research study on how media buys and ad messages influence consumer intentions to buy their products.

OK, so I have some research envy. It would be great to have that kind of money to piss away on research that tells us what we already know but is still impressive because it's so damn massive in scope.

Wow...here's a really breakthrough insight: for certain products it is imperative to get on the "shopping list" before a consumer goes to a retail outlet.

Here's another: For high ticket items, the goal might be to simply get a consumer to go on-line to a brand's web-site to seek more information.

This is what they got for $500,000?? I would have given them the same insights for a fraction of that amount. But, alas, they are Starcom MediaVest and $500,000 will get them through lots of doors even though the research probably reveals nothing of great importance.

Let me know if you have any insights on this topic.

Street Furniture

Written May 30

Interesting article in Ad Age this week about a company called CEMUSA that specializes in something they call Street Furniture

CEMUSA creates this incredibly cool, high-design out-of-home and place-based media.

This is yet another example of the number and variety of creative (i.e. engagement) platforms that continue to proliferate in what is fast becoming a "post-mass" world.

Street Furniture seems like a great place for totes?

ds

Are You Digitized?

Written May 22

As we hurtle down the information superhighway to our futures a digital marketers, the question arises: how digitized are you? In a recent study, Scarborough Research says that only 6% of Americans can be considered Digitally Savvy. Eighteen hi-tech consumer behaviors and purchasing patterns were identified and isolated within their national study. Those consumers who satisfied eight or more of them were considered Digitally Savvy. I've listed the 18 behaviors below. I'd love to hear how many of you would classify as Digitally Savvy (be honest).

• PDA
• DVR
• Satellite Radio
• VOIP
• MP3
• HDTV
• Online banking/bill paying
• Blogging
• Gaming
• Dowload podcasts
• Download/listen to audio
• Download/watch video
• Instant messaging
• Download ringtones/video games
• Email messaging (instant, picture, text)
• Stream video
• Access internet from cell/PDA

Editor's note: In my opinion, simply "trying" some of these behaviors (downloading a podcast once) does not constitute a "yes" in this survey. These behaviors need to be an on-going part of your daily life.

Are you digitized??

In Support of Branding

Written May 14

I think I get a million email newsletters a week. Every once in awhile, I read one that begs a response.

Here is something from today's Online Spin. It was entitled "Did Winston Churchill Work in Brand Advertising?" It was written by one of the many on-line bloggers who relish the idea of traditional media being laid to waste by the emerging technologies. No, I'm not in denial about what's happening. But I also think the doomsday stuff is overplayed.

Anyway, here is the article and my response near the bottom. "Did Winston Churchill Work in Brand Advertising?"

The Art of Dabbling

Written May 10

My son loves going to arcades. It's always interesting to watch his patterns in one of those places. Over the course of an hour, he will bounce around and try several games. But the majority of his time is typically spent with a few (highly violent) favorites.

This is what it feels like to be in marketing today. We have become dabblers in a world awash with choices. Just a few weeks ago, MediaPost ran a story about Heinz Ketchup's national contest for a consumer-generated commercial. They received about 3,000 entries, with the winning entrant receiving $57,000 for his spot. The spot was posted on YouTube and may, or may not, see the light of national television. Nice story for Heinz Ketchup. But effective brand marketing?

I'm not against dabbling. In fact, I'm not sure we have much of a choice but to dabble as there is not enough research or understanding to support any one "new medium." And agencies are just as intimidated by the entire enterprise as their clients. Dabbling is safe. Perhaps not very effective, but safe.

Still, like my son in the arcade, we tend to gravitate back to those things we know and trust once our need to dabble has been satisfied. Even when we're not 100% certain that those things we trust are terribly effective.

Do you think it's OK to dabble?

Marketing Intimacy

Written: April, 2008

Last year, a new drive-through Starbucks opened about a mile from me on the increasingly congested eye-sore known as Beechmont Avenue.

At the time, I half-jokingly said to my wife: "Drive through will be the death of the Starbucks brand."

Well, the brand is far from dead, but as most people know, it is in a world of hurt. Several weeks ago, Time ran an excellent feature story on the return of founder Howard Schultz in the wake of Starbuck's first-ever drop in same-store sales. Read Time article It seems as if the spirit that made Starbucks one of the world's great brands gave way to the desire to just sell more coffee and even more “stuff.”

As our industry struggles to wrap its head around the notion of "brand engagement," perhaps we should consider the one brand that was built on a single minded commitment to engagement: Starbucks. Howard Schultz' vision of Starbucks being the "third place" to go during the day had nothing to do with coffee---or CDs, egg & cheese sandwiches, stuffed animals and $250 Espresso machines, for that matter. Starbucks evolved out of a notion of customer intimacy. It was the "place" that was special. There are plenty of places to go for a decent cup of coffee. But Starbucks is the one place to go to "meet someone” over a cup of coffee.

That's why I always felt that drive-through at Starbucks is completely counter-intuitive to the company’s founding vision. Brand engagement is about the customer experience. For Starbucks, the customer experience was in the store. Drive through may have expanded the opportunity for incremental volume, but it took the customer out of the essential Starbucks experience---it removed the intimacy.

I’m intrigued by the notion of customer intimacy as it relates to brand engagement. We use brand engagement as a fairly generic, all-encompassing concept. But is it all encompassing? Do some product/service categories involve greater levels of customer intimacy than others and, thus, require different approaches to engagement?

For example, most CPG products are utilitarian with short purchase cycles and a minimum amount of consumer interest and involvement. As marketers, we are essentially far-removed from the ultimate “customer experience” as it starts in the store and ends in the home. In this regard, mass media still plays a critical role in maintaining brand awareness and reinforcing brand affinity. I maintain that it is difficult and ultimately inefficient to build and maintain a truly intimate dialogue with CPG “brand ambassadors.”

On the other hand, categories such as restaurants or fast food afford tremendous opportunity for customer intimacy and marketing approaches that are highly engagement-focused. Every day, people make the decision to walk into Long John Silvers, for instance. Many of these people are passionate customers who would readily become brand ambassadors. The opportunity to build a more intimate dialogue with these loyal customers is, I believe, the essence of brand engagement and the key to driving stronger ROI for the client.

Brand engagement, to me, is the bridge that links mass communication to customer intimacy. Every product or service sits somewhere on this bridge. Our opportunity is to create the discipline that helps clients identity where they sit on the engagement bridge in order to help model the best mix of on/off-line, traditional and non-traditional marketing elements.

If you would like to discuss this in more detail, I’d be happy to meet you at Starbucks!

DS

(Big) Give Me A Break

I know I'll get a lot of grief for this post...assuming that anybody even reads it!  I'll likely get the most grief from my lovely wife who is one of Oprah's biggest devotees.

I watched the first episode of "Oprah's Big Give" on ABC this past Sunday evening.  It's "The Apprentice" meets "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" meets "The Great Race."  We decided to watch as a family on the belief that this would be program filled with great lessons about altruism.  The show was promoted ad-nauseum by ABC and during Oprah's afternoon talk-show. This, we were told, would be an hour that would change our lives...as if Desperate Housewives hadn't already accomplished this feat.

If you were un-lucky enough to miss the show, here is the premise:  Oprah picks a bunch of contestants from (I'm sure) the 20 million entries she received on her web-site.  For this first episode, the contestants were put into teams of two and assigned the task of tracking down individuals or families who are in desperate need of assistance for one reason or another.  The teams then had five days to raise as much money as possible through their own creative fund-raising efforts.

Lest there be some doubt, I am not a cold-hearted, cynical bastard. There have been many times I've cried watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  People need help and I applaud Oprah's intentions.  But the "Big Give" was ultimately about competition and back-biting when it was all said and done...and that's my issue.  If Oprah wants to help the needy, she could have taken just one of her weekly pay-checks and taken care of every person featured in the program...and then some.  Instead of providing a lesson to my 12 year old son on the beauty of giving, the show ended with a panel of judges who eliminated one of the contestants because, I suppose, she didn't give enough.  Hell, Mother Theresa wouldn't have made the grade in this cut-throat battle to help those in need. 

So, the lesson of "The Big Give:"  it's not about giving...it's about giving more than someone else.  

Thoughts? 

Too Good Not to Post

I'm sure this has made the rounds, but if you haven't been lucky enough to be on a distribution list, take a few minutes to enjoy.

Will Farrell just get's it.

http://sjl.funnyordie.com/v1/view_video.php?viewkey=3efbc24c7d2583be6925

A Werd of Warning

I received an interesting post today and wanted to share it with the millions of you who tune into this blog on a daily, if not hourly, basis.

A new web-site/blog has been created by and for people in the advertising community… or people who have lots of spare time on their hands. It’s called Addictionary. Here is the link:

http://ad.addictionary.org

This is actually a helpful little resource if you are looking to get definitions for all of those “new media” terms that you often hear but seldom understand (such as long-tail).

The Addictionary also includes something called “werds” which are created by the readers in a Wiki of sorts. Here are a few that I really liked:

Egonomics: branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption and transfer of self-esteem.

Mometer: the palm of a mother’s hand when used as a temperature-taking device when a child is sick.

Fame Retardent: any action or behavior which, when engaged in by a celebrity, reduces his or her popularity.

Witard: an individual who cannot manage or hold a Wii remote, let alone us it properly.

I have a few werds that are in development and will be added to Addictionary soon.

Radio...The Original Social Network

I had dinner last night with my good friend Michael Walter, who is affectionately known as Fin…short for Dolphin. Fin recently returned to Cincinnati after a brief stint with Clear Channel in Atlanta to become the new Program Director for Cumulus Radio’s Rock 96. He has the mouth-watering challenge of taking on the station where he once was the PD…Clear Channel’s heritage rocker WEBN.

As someone who has always loved local radio, it’s exciting to see a company like Cumulus bringing back an “old radio guy” like Fin. It’s ironic that Fin’s return to his old stomping grounds coincides with the recent announcement that Clear Channel will need to divest itself of several properties in Cincinnati because of anti-trust issues. With Clear Channel having dominated Cincinnati’s radio market for more than a decade, it will be interesting and, dare I say, refreshing to see the competitive landscape change so dramatically.

My hope is that Fin and others like him will bring back the thing that always made radio special: its local-ness. Before the web and the advent of social networking through Facebook, etc. al. local radio stations were the original social networks on a market by market basis. People had favorite stations and tuned in for much more than music…they tuned into the personalities, the contests and the activities that defined radio stations. Radio formats became social networks. Sadly, much of that magic was lost during the post de-regulation years when rapid consolidation led to homogenization. Radio slowly lost the one thing that defined it for many years: its link to the community.

But I see a revival on the horizon. Radio is in a unique position to exploit the marketing community’s insatiable appetite to better “engage” consumers. Satellite radio is failing because it isn’t local…and therefore, not very interesting. Television faces tremendous challenges as DVRs and on-line video continue to chip away at attention-strapped consumers. Newspaper is in a fight for its existence as younger, digitally savvy consumers abandon the traditional form of news for the immediate on-line version.

To me, it’s all very exciting stuff as all traditional (i.e. off-line) media must adhere to the oft-repeated axiom: “adapt or die.” I don’t expect any of the traditional media to die, but it will be fun to watch them re-cast themselves to a marketing industry that is rapidly rejecting the status quo.

The opportunity for local radio, in this brave new media world, is to return to its roots and exploit the very qualities that make it a unique medium: immediacy, personality and, above all, local relevance.

I think it was Bette Davis who said: “You better strap yourself in, it’s going to be bumpy ride.”

Comments?

You Are My Sunshine

A friend from London emailed this spot to me yesterday.

There's a lot of talk in America about how advertising must be "disruptive." Even our most disruptive work (whatever that may be) pales in comparison to this highly-engaging spot.

I'd love to hear your opinion.

Cheerio!

Death to TV...Long Live TV

On Sunday evening, 97 million people made a statement about the future of media and advertising and that is: "if you build it and make it interesting, we will come!

It has become sport in the marketing world for the "digirati" to proclaim the death of all things traditional. TV is dead. Magazines are dead. Radio is dead. Ad agencies are dead. But I ask the question: Why must anything die?The hard, cold reality is that people, like the 97 million who watched Sunday's Super Bowl, look to media for entertainment. Yes, there are now many more choices and digital platforms have indeed changed the face of our world. And, to be clear, I love surfing YouTube for a bit of entertainment. But, I get much more enjoyment out of watching an episode of Boston Legal and I truly look forward to the 500+ pages that come wrapped inside the September cover of Vanity Fair. Yes, ads and all.

We need to stay focused on the difference between information and entertainment. When advertising is at its best, it is a perfect blend of these two elements. And are we "engaged" by good advertising? Without question. Advertising has always been about engagement, despite the fact that the digirati have co-opted the term to describe the role of non-traditional platforms in today's marketing mix. Our business has always been and will continue to be about engagement. It's just that today, we have expanded the engagement continuum by adding a higher level of information and greater actionability.

Indeed, I would agree with the digital pundits who argue that not a single, incremental six pack of Bud Light was sold as a result of the brand's $10MM plus investment in Super Bowl commercials. But 97 million people were entertained (to a degree) by the spots and by the free Super Bowl coverage they engendered. And, for that, I believe Bud Light earns a lot of points with beer-drinking consumers.

Now...where's my February Vanity Fair??