Less Is More

by Steve Fodor

This almost always happens when reviewing initial advertising concepts. Several concepts get reviewed. There’s always one that generates an immediate reaction from the client and the account manager. You can see it on their faces and they say, “Yea…that’s the one.”

Great! They reacted to an ad they way the audience would. “Got it in the first few seconds and I had a positive reaction.” Typically, that’s about all the time the reader is going to give you to make an impression with an ad.

Then, a few days go by and the temptation to ask, “What if the ad said this, too? And what if…?” and so on. All of a sudden, the copy gets much, much longer. The headline even changes to become more literal. Now, an ad concept that evoked an immediate emotional response starts to read like a full-line product brochure.

An ad is one element in the marketing communications mix. An ad positions the appeal of your brand. It delivers that emotional impact and lets the reader make the connection themselves – without pounding a long list of features and benefits into their heads. That’s what Web sites, brochures and salespeople are for.

Less copy is often more when you want the reader to make that connection themselves in their own minds.

I read a story recently about Ernest Hemingway, my favorite author. While sitting in a bar, Hemingway was challenged by another bar patron to write a complete story in six words or less. After finishing his drink, Hemingway wrote: For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn. In six words, Hemingway told a story covering an entire life and evoked interest. Bar patrons began to beg Hemingway for more of the story. They were drawn in and wanted to know more. “Buy it when it’s published,” Hemingway said.

An ad should be so simple, yet effective at generating interest and emotions.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hooverine/

Combining Old and New Technology with Great Results

by Brad Smith

I’ve been around this business long enough to remember typesetting, typewriters, keylines, stat machines and the smell of magic markers. But what I miss the most are the old-fashioned artistic skills of the art director who used a pencil or markers to sketch out an idea and turn it into a piece of art we called a layout.

Today’s layouts are done on computer, and they look so close to the finished product that sometimes we (and our clients) forget they’re concepts. They aren’t “comps,” they’re “comp-letes.”

Have clients driven this expectation, or do we not give clients enough credit to think they can use their imagination? Frankly, I’m not sure.

But I do know we recently had a great experience combining the old technology of “pencil rough layouts” with the new technology of “GoToMeeting.”

In a sign of the current economy, we had a firm, tight ad development budget. So, as usual, we noodled through some ideas and developed copy for a few ad concepts. But instead of multiple computer comp layouts, we created pencil rough layouts. Then instead of driving to the client’s office, we presented these concepts to their marketing staff via the Internet.

The results? Travel time was eliminated. Creative and account service time was reduced. The client was involved earlier in the concept stage. Pros and cons were exchanged. Everybody was excited and enthusiastic. And a firm direction was agreed upon and then executed. Budget objectives were achieved.

The new good old ways. Maybe we’re on to something here.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangpages/

What Are My Salespeople Saying Out In The Field?

by Steve Fodor

If you’re a sales manager with a remote sales force or selling through independent reps, you’ve probably asked yourself this question.

Think about it. You invest money (a lot, sometimes) in creating a consistent brand message. Yet, the salespeople in the field are often where the sale lives or dies. If what salespeople do and say is inconsistent with the message and image you’re trying to portray in other marketing communications, you’re defeating your own purpose.

It’s impossible to have complete control over what a sales force says while out in the field. And, as a sales manager, you don’t necessarily want to control their every word, unless micromanagement is your sole source of entertainment.

But here are two simple, “no-brainer” and low-cost ways to help get some consistency of message that you can use today.

First, give salespeople e-mail “templates.” Create e-mail templates for use in obtaining an appointment, for thanking a prospect for a first visit, for presenting a quote, and whatever scenarios you need. Create these templates as YOU would like your sales force to present your brand image.

Second, create “questions to ask” worksheets or selling guides for salespeople to use. It’s difficult to evolve to a solutions-based selling approach if salespeople only know how to ask, “Do you want to buy anything today?” What information do they need to obtain in the first sales call to make a value-based sale possible?

These two, simple things won’t fix all the issues associated with managing a remote sales force. But, they will begin to give salespeople some tools to make their sales efforts more consistent with your marketing efforts.

I’ve worked with many business-to-business clients who have remote sales forces. Simple selling tools like these seem so “obvious.” Yet I’m amazed how frequently the obvious things get overlooked.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/petesimon/

The Twouble With Twitter

by Steve Badertscher

First off, let me say that I agree with everything in Steve Fodor's blog post yesterday, especially the title (I kid, I kid). Actually I do concur with his views about Twitter as a B2B marketing tool, especially the fact that the verdict is still out. Truth be told, the "real" reason I have a little smirk on my face every time he mentions Twitter is because images from this YouTube video start running through my head. Oh, that and the fact that his cat has over 200 followers.

My Boss Thinks I'm a Twit

by Steve Fodor

Whenever I mention Twitter as a marketing venue, my boss does a little smirk and I sense apprehension on his part.

I really can’t disagree with that sense of apprehension because I share it myself. Over the brief course of the last six months or so, here’s a small sampling of what I’ve read and heard regarding Twitter as a marketing tool:

“Twitter has jumped from early adopter oddity to mainstream sensation.”

“Twitter is fast becoming a go-to tactic for business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketers.”

“As of February 2009, there are over 7 million users on Twitter, an increase of over 1,300% from a year before.”

“Over 60% of new Twitter users will drop out and cease participation in 30 days.”

What’s the verdict? I’ll give you a very definite “maybe” at this point. It’s still being defined. Some use it as a research tool. I’ve heard of some “Tweeting” at trade shows, saying “what’s going on in our booth.” Some companies let customer service representatives interact with customers via Twitter, creating new avenues for relationship building. It’s “speculative” at best to measure viewership with Twitter. And it does not tie in with search engine optimization programs as do blogging and keyword search strategies.

I’m not dismissing Twitter (hey, my cat has over 200 followers). How we use all new social media is evolving. How we define these new mediums as marketing tools is limited only to our creativity. The possibilities are endless and, I’m sure, will become even more defined and measureable over time. So keep your eyes, ears and Twitter accounts open and see what evolves over the next six months.
Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/scobleizer/

Judging Marketing Creative -- The Power of the First Impression

by Brad Smith

One of the hardest things an account manager is asked to do is the same thing we turn right around and ask our clients to do – judge the agency’s creative efforts.

Take an ad, for example. At this agency the presentation of an ad is preceded with a review of the situation, the audience and the objective(s) of the ad. Given today’s market characteristics, who is the audience we want to communicate with, and what do we want them to do after reading our ad?

So we create an ad from the perspective of the audience, and then we ask our clients to put themselves in the audiences’ shoes and evaluate/judge the power of the concept and its ability to do the job we’ve all agreed upon.

And then there’s the presentation, and that magic moment of the first impression. The client sees the concept – the headline and the visual (the text is read later). Will it grab my prospect’s attention and interest? Will they get it? Is this the way my company should be portrayed?

This is an emotional judgment. Combined with an intellectual business decision. When you’re judging the creative, never forget that first impression…because it’s the first impression your prospects will likely have, too.

The tendency is to start to over analyze. To try and improve. To start the “what if we changed this” thinking.

Don’t do it. Trust your emotional instincts. Remember the power of your first impression.

It took a brave client to approve “Just Do It” as a positioning statement. Or “Got Milk?” as a campaign theme, using famous people with a white moustache as a visual. Or “Lemon” as a headline for a car manufacturer’s ad.

So how do you judge an agency’s creative concepts? How brave should you be – or have you been? Let me know what you think, and share an experience or two.


Nike "Swoosh" symbol and "Just Do It" slogan are trademarks of Nike Corporation

Stand For Something

by Steve Fodor

A colleague of mine likes to say, “If you needed to have brain surgery done, you wouldn’t go to a general practice doctor.”

The same is true when it comes to positioning your business and how you go to market. If you don’t stand for something specific and own it, or, if you try to be too broad in your positioning, you end up standing for nothing in the minds of prospects and customers.

Positioning is the discipline of making trade-offs. And I say “discipline” because it is hard to focus your marketing message and positioning. But, as Bill Cosby once said, “The surest way to fail is to try to be all things to all people.”

Defining what you do best (or the two or three things you do best and can own) requires you to take a hard look at yourself and have insight into what the unmet needs are in your category. What makes you unique? Will this motivate customers? Will this render the competition helpless? Not only is this a critical business strategy, but think about how people find information today. In many cases, their first avenue is to enter some words into Google. If you’re not presenting your information in a specific, well-defined and positioned way, you’re probably not going to be high on the search page.

Today’s consumers and buyers have way, way more choices than they did just a decade ago. If you don’t stand for something specific, own a relevant position and stand out in a unique way, you’re just another commodity. And if you’re a commodity, you’ll always be forced to compete on price. That’s not the most enjoyable position to own.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistressf/