All You Need Is A Good Idea!

Ever Notice Your Experiences Usually Match Your Expectations?

I got this post's headline and insights from the book, You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney. (Somehow I didn't think his book's title would make a good post headline.) In some obvious ways, when you think about it, he makes a lot of sense. Taste a wine, watch a TV show, listen to a new set of headphones...the expectation that it will be superior actually helps make the experience better.

McRaney also quotes some research that showed about 18 percent of people who own high-def televisions are actually still watching standard definition programming, but they truly believe they are seeing a better picture. (See? Expectation/experience.)

An interesting marketing classic related to this took place in the early eighties, when Pepsi ran "The Pepsi Challenge." People sampled Pepsi and Coke, with the logos removed, though the glasses were labeled either M or Q. People said they like Pepsi, labeled M, better than Coke, labeled Q. Then Coke, upset at losing the taste test, did their own study, but put Coke in both glasses. Again, M was the winner. Turns out it wasn’t actually the soda; people just liked the letter M better than the letter Q!

What the book tells you about wine tasting can save you a fortune, since in many blind taste tests wine connoisseurs have a difficult time telling the $200 bottles from the $20 ones.

The book presents unexpected points of view on why you have too many friends on Facebook and why your memory is mostly fiction. Agree or not, it is a stimulating read. Indeed, before I read the book I would have thought the fact that I am doing two blogs in a row recommending a book must be part of some mystical repetitive pattern. Now I realize that it is just a coincidence, explained by the Monte Carlo fallacy! (Yes, I get the same amount (zero) from Amazon for each recommendation.)

In terms of your marketing, the presentation of your price, service, graphics, should all lead to an expectation of quality, because that will allow people to expect excellence, and the actual experience at the end is, surprisingly, often less important.

After all, in real life, doesn't a bunch of bad reviews tend to lessen your enjoyment of a movie, whereas glowing reviews enhances the experience?

Got the idea?

I’ll Go My Way By Myself

“Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.” That’s Picasso, quoted in the New York Times recently by Susan Cain in an Opinion article.

The article talks about Brainstorming and Groupthink, and while it admits teamwork offers a fun, useful way to exchange ideas, it points out that most creative types resist being part of a group. (Perhaps because the most spectacularly creative people in many fields are often introverted.)

When you think about it, it makes sense. “People in groups tend to sit back and let others do the work; they instinctively mimic others’ opinions…and, often, succumb to peer pressure.”

The classic story of Apple’s beginning certainly was one of collaboration, between Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. But how did Mr. Wozniak actually get his work done? Well, according to his memoir, quoted in the article, “Most inventors…are like me…they live in their heads. They’re almost like artists…and artists work best alone. I’m going to give you some advice…work alone…not on a committee. Not on a team.”

Of course, who can resist bouncing an idea off others, (pretending we want input, when all we really seek is praise.) But as often has been said to groups who look at your idea and start “improving” it…where were you when the page was blank?

So read her article and perhaps buy her book. (Full disclosure. I get no reward, except perhaps Ms. Cain’s undying gratitude.)

And think about getting out of a group mentality, and learn to fly solo. It may be difficult at first, but the good ideas you develop might make it worthwhile.

Got the idea?

Related articles

• On Solitude. (mindblog.dericbownds.net)
• 7 Crazy Facts About Steve Wozniak (tech.li)
• Brainstorming Doesn't Really Work : The New Yorker (gasstationwithoutpumps.wordpress.com)

Shake This Category Up With Innovation

The post title is from a quote in the New York Times by Sunder Raman, marketing director for North American fabric care at Procter & Gamble. (Heck of a title.) His full quote is, "We want to shake this category up with innovation. What you're going to see from us is a little more risk-taking."

Whether it is for a product or a marketing campaign, that's the kind of thinking I love to hear. As I point out in my book, nothing can kill creativity easier than the lure of a big budget. While it is not always the kiss of bland, a big budget allows marketers to believe that the message will surely get out, so why muck things up with an idea that is risky (read "clever," "different").

The particular innovation Sunder is talking about it is Tide Pods, a new single-use laundry tablet that combines detergent, stain remover and a brightener. And they are doing all the things a big budget allows you to do: print, commercials, buying rights to a song, (along with all the things you don't even need a budget for, like a micro web site, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook).

I have not yet seen the commercials, but if the print ad above is what P&G thinks of as innovative, perhaps because there are no side-by-side demos, well, I think not.

So I guess I am suggesting innovation is wonderful, but your marketing should be as innovative as your product.

Got the idea?

Related articles

• What Social Media Actually Costs (inc.com)
• Procter & Gamble cuts profit forecast on strong dollar (telegraph.co.uk)

HERE’S WHAT A KID THINKS OF FAMOUS BRAND LOGOS. IT’S DEPRESSING.

Over one million hits for this video, and it’s not even about a cat, dog, or a kid biting his brother. Impressive numbers, but disheartening for those of us in advertising. All the money spent on research, design and selection of logos, and this five-year old shows how much of it is wasted. Granted, she is young, but directionally it is scary.

And Bloomberg recently reported that Pepsico, the world’s largest snack-food maker, may boost the advertising and marketing budget for its namesake cola and other drinks by as much as $600 million, or 50 percent, to $1.7 billion. As usual, it is the spending level, and not the marketing idea, that gets the attention of management.

So let’s reexamine our logos, our strategies, and most important, our communications. Are you making the impact you think you are? Hey, ask a kid.

Got the idea?

Related articles

• PepsiCo to Cut 8,700 Jobs, Boost Marketing Spending - Bloomberg (livingstrongandhappy.blogspot.com)
• Coke and Pepsi may be readying another cola war (bottomline.msnbc.msn.com)

A SUPER SUPER BOWL PROMOTION

Cover via Amazon

 

 

So, if you are a fan of Stephen Sondheim, you should check out the works of Frank Loesser. As with Sondheim, Loesser started out writing just the lyrics, then did both words and music in the 40s, 50s and 60s for shows such as Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella and Where’s Charlie. Like Sondheim, Loesser never repeated himself; each show was completely different in tone, style and subject matter.

(I feel awkward using only their last names, but would be more uncomfortable with the implied familiarity of using their first names, or adding “Mr.” Any advice?)

The way this post ties in with Valentine’s Day is that I really love Sondheim and Loesser's work.

And the way it ties into good marketing ideas is the way NBC used a song from Loesser's How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying for their Super Bowl promo. If you missed it, here's a link, since NBC won't let anyone embed the promo (but let's hope it means Community is coming back.)

http://youtu.be/BJuAvwtmXuw

Related articles

• Sondheim on Sondheim - New York Times (nytimes.com)
• It's Been A While (keenanviau.com)

HOWDY

Conventional folk wisdom says you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. Leaving aside the question of why you are fly hunting in the first place, this metaphor for being friendly rather than acerbic certainly holds true with your marketing messages.

And I don’t just mean in all the obvious places, such as headline, tone, attitude. Any chance at all that you get to warm up your target, without being condescending or obviously patronizing, is a good opportunity to burnish your brand image.

Even using something as overlooked and obvious as the signs on your doors stating your store hours. Only when you take a moment to think about it do you realize it is probably one of the first things your customers see after your ads and promotions have led them to your place of business.

Which is why I liked the two signs above that I saw at the world’s largest store. While I don’t agree with their actual hours of operation, having seen a constant stream of customers milling unhappily around waiting till their usual ten o’clock opening, I do think that they went the extra step in warming up the crowd with the simple “Hello,” and “Hi there” greeting.

Would one customer in a thousand give that little “Hello” as a reason to shop at Macy’s? Nope. But just as no single snowflake blames itself for the enormity of the blizzard, a constant stream of little things will ultimately produce a large impact.

Got the idea?

Related articles

• The Howdy Doody Show (greatamericanthings.net)

SUPER BUST

Today, when everyone is talking about yesterday’s outstanding creative Super Bowl commercials, I thought I would zag and mention a truly terrible spot I saw a week ago. When it came on, my wife and I each thought that it must be a spoof. We hoped that there would be a payoff that would make everything make sense, like the new JCPenney commercials, with coupons and screaming ladies do. No such luck.

Now, I realize all this may be generational, and the commercials are meant for my daughters, not me. But I am adamant in my belief that the campaign for Sun Drop is simply dreadful. And since this is A) my blog, and B) I have had a book published about ideas and you probably haven’t, I am undoubtedly correct. Although the millions of hits the campaign has received on YouTube does suggest that there are other opinions.

According to Wikipedia, Sun Drop is a citrus-flavored soda produced by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. It is known for its high caffeine content, and the formula goes back to 1930. And below is what the commercial looks like. In general, I think, Dr. Pepper’s marketing for their brands leaves much to be desired. And not that my ad agency is looking to pitch their business, but my email Information is on this page.

Got the idea?

 

Related articles

• Dr Pepper Dublin Gets Snappled: Will it Taste the Same? (ibtimes.com)
• Here's 1 Reason Dr Pepper Snapple Group Looks Weak (fool.com)
• Biscuits. Buttermilk vs. SunDrop Soda (foodthoughtsbyjhg.wordpress.com)

ELMORE LEONARD'S 10 RULES FOR YOU

•  Never open a book with weather.

•  Avoid prologues.

•  Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.

•  Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”…he admonished gravely.

•  Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. 

•  Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."

•  Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.

•  Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.

•  Don't go into great detail describing places and things.

•  Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

If you don’t recognize the name of the author, Elmore Leonard, you surely know his books and films, such as Get Shorty, Hombre, Out of Sight. Along with his latest credit, the TV series Justified, based on the U.S. Marshal character he created, Raylan Gibbons.

He has formulated ten rules of writing, that, although designed for writers of fiction, are interesting for anyone who puts pen to paper, or keyboard to computer screen. And certainly his last ‘rule’ applies to any marketing material you may be creating.

Got the idea?

Related articles

• Elmore Leonard Justified by TV series (canada.com)
• Elmore Leonard: the great American novelist (guardian.co.uk)