Musings Of A Marketer

Do you often see an ad that, you think, is not serving its purpose well? I do sometimes. All the time, in fact. But do I have a right to discuss that? Do I know the real purpose of that or the other ad?

Take, for example, the latest Google video Parisian Love. To me, it clearly didn’t reflect anything that Google is. That’s, at the first glance. I mean, I know Google is a great search engine. I use it all the time, it is the first, and usually last, place I use to search smth on the Net. And most of people out there feel the same – they may love Google for what they’ve done, or may hate them for what they’ve achived, but they know that Google is one of the best in the field. So why bother, then, and waste that SuperBowl money to tell what all know?

But what do I know? A viewer next to me gets a different message from this ad. The video conveys very warm atmosphere, very calm and sweet emotions. This serves to break the image of the company as a machine that treads over other companies’ heads to gain more power, more profit, more, more, more… To me, that also works. The ad does carry that message, and I do get it. In this light, the video is not advertising the search engine, but rather the image of Google, and it may be taken as a response to increasing competition in the search fiels, as well as the reaction to pretty weak results of Nexus One phone sales. In that case, the ad did what it had to do? I would say, yes, at least as far as it goes to me and to that guy next to me…

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Brand DNA posted a piece on this creative device. Very smart idea: A USB drive that scents the air with a Jean Paul Gaultier fragrance as you work. The device is a free gift that comes together with purchased item. Nice move for sellers of perfumes, coffee, chocolate and the like.

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This news comes to me from Engadget.

Google’s ad will most probably be aired during the SuperBowl show. The ad is just great, simple yet catching. It surely deserves a spot in that greatest show of the US.

The video is here:

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A Russian ad has been posted on video-streaming sites. The ad is aimed to remind the hazards of alcohole abuse. The story seems to be based on a tale by the Brothers Grimm about a Rat-catcher who led the rodents to water to drown them. A very nice move, powerful and catching. Unfortunately, I don’t know the producers of the ad. The video is on the Internet so far, and the plans are to air it on TV, too.

The ad has no text audible of visible, so don’t be afraid to miss a point (there is a text “700 000 people annually”  and that is how many die because of alcohole abuse in Russia).

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CNN Money reports the list of 9 most overpriced offers in the US. It’s interesting to view, so I am passing it on here in brief:

1. Text messages: 6,500% markup. The small amount of data costs a carrier around 0,3 cents to transmit. But to the customer they cost 20 cents outgoing and 10 cents incoming.

2. Movie theater popcorn: 900% markup. The snacks in places like cinemas are what brings profit, rather than tickets.

3. Free credit reports are not really free at freecreditreport.com. Alternative free service is available at annualcreditreport.com

4. Name brand painkillers: 60% markup. The generic medicines work just as well as the branded products, but some people fall for the name, which is only fair to them

5. Wine at restaurants: 500% markup. Cheaper wines at restaurants may cost three times as much the retail price, while the premium brands will double in price. I say, you wanna drink? Have it in a cosy home environment.

6. College textbooks: 900% markup. This is least fair offer, I’d say. Remembering my student years, how it was painful to spend that pack of money for books. The worst thing about it is that there are new editions of the same books, you can’t really tell the difference but you have to buy a new book all the time. One of the ways out, if you are not interested in keeping a book forever, you can sell it to the students that come after you… with a discount, of course. Or else, you could be the one who’s buying it with discount from the older students.

7. Super gasoline: 15% markup. With no real effect on the vehicle performance, you pay 15% extra.

8. Hotel mini-bars: 1,500% markup. People do realize the prices are terrible there, so the hotels bring in rare product so people have nothing to compare it to. I say, guests’ fault, totally. If you are that tired to go out and buy the same stuff cheaper, who’s to blame, then?

9. Hotel in-room movies: 200% markup. Ah, those hotels bastards again… And again, not their fault

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Browsing Adrants I came across a commercial from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership messaged for those who neglect seatbelts. Truly powerful video, unlike most of others is aimed to shock not through the exposure of death but rather through the escape from thereof. The images are good, the metaphor is well-used, and the music is just what it needs to be.

Somehow, the video reminded me of another ad made for Russia, and meant for those who drink and drive. The death and pretty much the dismemberment is there, but it’s not something that you tend to avert your eyes from, all due to the metaphor of the body breaking into glass splinters.

Check out both the ads here and decide for yourself which one is nicer, and which one serves the goal best:

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There’s an interesting post by Drew McLellan on Marketing Profs on how you should always start thinking from yourself when marketing your product or service.

Don’t point your initial tactics at prospects or customers. Your first target is closer to home. Do you want to talk to an audience that has a vested interest in your company and is motivated to see that you’re successful? Look no further than your own employees. It is one of the most powerful and most overlooked marketing truths out there.

If an employee feels like he is values, then he is sure to do his best to make his client as valued. Let them be part of the dream…and thank them for sharing it with you.

Drew throws some points that may help you make the employees feel what they have to feel.

1. Let them in on the secrets. Share the vision. Share the numbers. Paint a picture of where you want to take the company and how they can help you get the team there. This secret, actually, is never supposed to be secret. This step not only makes it look like you want to share something valuable with the employee, but rather clarifies your vision of the business and opens an area for discussion, if necessary, or just sets it straight for everybody.
2. Let it be about them. The CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK asks his employees for 101 life goals. When someone exceeds his expectations and he wants to reward them, he looks for ways to help them get closer to one of those life goals. Imagine yourself in one of those employees’ shoes. One of your dreams coming true because you do your job well…
3. Don’t forget their families. An employee spending extra hours at work making his/her family feel neglected. It is not the employee who should apologise to the family. It is your fault (well, most often), so why not say sorry by giving a small (or big?) present, or at least sending a “thank you” note.
4. Let them be your customers. The best way they can advocate for your products is to use them. If you’re an accountant – do their taxes for free. If you sell phones, make sure they always have the latest and greatest (and your brand, of course, if you produce them).
5. Make them your walking, talking billboards. T-shirts, ball caps, letterman jackets, cool messenger bags – whatever it takes. These have to be so good that the people wearing it didn’t feel it as obligation.
6. Keep the conversation going: Do not take it as one-time marketing tactic. This needs to be part of your culture. Just like external marketing…it takes time, consistency and a commitment.

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The long story of hopes and speculations was ended yesterday, with announcement of Apples new device – the iPad, which I would call a hybrid of iPhone and a notebook. Much was talked over this outing, much was discussed about what it would be like and what its name would be, and which products it will affect as a competitor, and which spheres this gadget would help. Now that the iPad is out the speculations will give way to more grounded analyses.

I here would just like to list the specs of the device.

• Apple’s own 1 GHz Apple A4 chip
• 16 – 64 GB of Flash storage
• Bluetooth 2.1
• 802.11n
• 10 hours of battery life (or a month at stand-by)
• Speaker, microphone and 30-pin connector
• Fully multi-touch
• 9.7 inch IPS LED backlit LCD
• 0,5 inch thick
• Accelerometer and Compass
• 3G UMTS/HSPDA and GSM/EDGE data (optional)
• Assisted GPS and Digital Compass (3G version only)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• VGA out support or AV out via dock connector and converter cable
• No camera (which is bad)
• No multitasking (which is even worse)

God knows when it comes out in Russia, remembering the super loooong story of iPhone, which has led Apple to lose pretty huge money to the importers of unlocked devices.

But even when it comes, I would rather wait at least for version 2.0, ’cause this doesn’t really replace my netbook. Though looks pretty cute to play with…

A detailed review is available in this Mashable’s post, and more pictures are available all through the net

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GigaOm have recently revealed 5 common myths that could kill a startup, and suggested the true statements instead. I believe, some points must be useful for those interested.

1. Hire smart people (false) vs Hire stars (true).

This is not to undermine the intelligence that is vital for execution itself.  There’s another factor, which is very common for the best leaders: emotional and social intelligence, sometimes referred to collectively as EQ.

2. It’s about your great idea (false) vs It’s about your customer (true).

In other words, it’s about the great timing and location of your great idea. I personally dealt with ideas that we were trying to execute too early, and failed to generate the demand enough to reach a tipping point, and with ideas that we were too slow to implement, thus giving way to smarter and faster companies.

3. Conflict is bad (false) vs Affective conflict is bad (true).

Just differentiate between two types of conflicts: a cognitive conflict is something that helps answer the questions of “what” and “why” as seen from various points of view; affective conflict, however, is a waste of time and nerves on debating about how to do and who takes control.

4. Hard work, no fun (false) vs Good results, lots of fun (true).

Hard working employee does not equal Effective employee. The hardworking ones work hard. They work and work and work, untill finally they are sick of it. And that’s the end. Effective employees have fun doing what they do, and they know where and when to stop.

5. It’s an Uphill Battle Until One Day, When It All Comes Together (false) vs It’s a Rollercoaster Ride (true).

One big customer, or even the much-aspired tipping point is never the end of your sufferings. A business path is a bumpy road all the way long, and should you relax for a moment, especially if you are a startup, the competitors, regulatory bodies and many others are there ready to feast on your blunders.

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Here’s a nice move from a young Russian talent, Eugeniy Danilov, the creative copywriter who once got the first prize at Eurobest Young Creatives competition.

He publishes a lot on Ebay offering The Cannes Lions Grand Prix starting at just $1 mln.

The lot says that the detailed information can be found at http://buycanneslionsgrandprix.blogspot.com, which is a blog made by Eugeniy specifically for the people linking from Ebay.

The blog, in its turn, confirms that the prize is real, and it can be bought in numerous installments during years. And, there is a bonus, a copywriter who will be with the company for the whole payment period.

The text Important information links the reader to Eugeniy’s CV:

Dear Friends, with project “Buy Cannes Lions Grand Prix” I just want to remind you, behind big awards and wins, stand people with flaming eyes and huge desire to prove everybody, that they have balls of steel.

Only this is when you understand that this is a joke, or, better say, a guerilla advertising move. This ebay lot will most probably attract ambitious advertisers dreaming about Cannes Lions prize, and that is exactly the company Eugeniy would like to work with.

I hope this presentation will help the former intern of Mowcow office of Saatch&Saatchi find the employer he’s looking for. If I were the employer, I would do my best to keep the guy interested.

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