All You Need Is A Good Idea!

Is your biggest decision the marshmallows?

Yep, Thanksgiving is  soon upon us. And even though I haven’t been invited, I’m certain I can recite your menu. Turkey is the centerpiece, plus string bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and an overabundance of desserts, featuring apple, pumpkin and pecan pies.

In fact, the only item you actually question are the sweet potatoes, the big decision being whether or not to bake marshmallows on top.  (I vote no.)

But my question is about the turkey. If we really like it that much, how come we rarely serve it at other times of the year? And why do we call something that is not successful, a “turkey”? And as important, why, besides a deeply ingrained holiday habit, do we feature it at all?

There is a food cliché that says it was a brave man who first ate an oyster. Let me add that it is a brave host who doesn’t serve a turkey for Thanksgiving. It is expected, predictable and a time-honored tradition.

Which is my segue to your marketing. (Hey, this is not a cooking blog.) Are you going to hand out “turkey”? You know, safe, expected, predictable creativity. It must be the right thing to do; after all, everyone else is doing it. And trying something novel might ruin someone’s appetite for your brand. Of course, there is always the chance that offering up the same old, same old might leave a bad taste in your customers’ mouths.

But the last thing you want is for your marketing to be as predicable as turkey on Thanksgiving.  At the very least, you have to try some variations: smoked, blackened, creamed, or fried. Take a chance. It’s not just the right thing to do. It can actually be productive…and fun.

Got the idea?

 

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TRUE. BUT NONSENSICAL

Boston Market must really have a low opinion of the IQ’s of their customers.

Yes, their claim is 100 per cent accurate: you can purchase complete Thanksgiving meals for twelve people for under ten dollars per person. How much less you ask? Well, instead of charging you $120.00, they will offer a discounted price of just $119.99! Yep, they have discounted a whole penny, for you to spend wildly on anything you might want.

So, I would like to give thanks that Boston Market has made this such an easy choice for a blog. And a great lesson on how not to try to make something out of nothing.

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This year’s most ridiculous headline

Yes, I realize that there are still a couple of months left till 2019. But it difficult to believe that any new headline will beat this one for sheer chutzpah. (Look it up.)

How can any product claim to be loved by all Americans? Heck, how can anything claim to be loved by all Americans. Then Nestlé doubles down on its arrogance by adding that “everyone has grown to love” (it).

And they finish by declaring that this is the “Crunch Generation.”

This is all so absurd on so many levels that I am trying to figure out if they have perhaps confused Halloween with April Fool’s Day and this is meant to be a spoof.

“All Americans.” “Everyone.” “The Crunch Generation.” Does any of this ring true? No, it seems as if they have confused hyperbole with absurdity.

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Too much honesty

As you might expect in a beauty products ad, the model looks fabulous. And of course, it is all due to her use of Maybelline products.

At least, that is what you would assume they are trying to suggest. Except, well, for that little line of copy at the bottom. “SIMULATION OF PRODUCT RESULTS.”

Wow! Mea Culpa indeed.

 

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Am I the only one who was confused?

Sotheby’s International Realty recently ran this ad. And though I have little interest in the subject, I read it all the way through. (Still not sure why.)

All was good till I got to this sentence (emphasis added): “We understand unlike any other that a home is an investment in your future – a statement about how you and your family want to live and where you will create countless lasting memories.”

My initial interpretation was that the “unlike any other” was referring to other realty firms. Which seemed an unprovable, superlative claim. So I read it again, and realized that what they were actually attempting to say with the “unlike any other” was to refer to the unique position that a home plays as an investment.

Which, to me, meant that they should have written it this way: “We understand that – unlike any other investment in your future – a home is a statement about how you and your family want to live and where you will create countless lasting memories.”

A small difference, but a meaningful one. So maybe the lesson is that after you spell check and grammar check, it may make sense to read it one more time, as a clarity check to make sure you are saying what you want to be saying.

Got the idea?

 

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High frequency/low risk

I read an interesting article recently about the possibly damaging effects of events that are low risk, but high frequency. One example was as straightforward as your daily shower. Each individual shower probably poses no major risk. But because it is done so frequently, the risk of hurting yourself, especially for the elderly, is much higher than for something that occurs rarely, even if that occasional event is seemingly more dangerous.

Sort of like being hit by lightning is not a good thing, but since it is such a rare occurrence, we aren’t too concerned about it.

That got me thinking about marketing, as many seemingly unrelated things so often do. Let’s say you have the choice of doing a bunch of ads, or, with the same budget, doing one big bang. I think the creative temptation, if you do a collection of high frequency insertions, is to err toward the safe, with the expectation that the sheer volume of exposure will work its selling magic. As opposed to saving your (many) pennies and betting it all on something like a Super Bowl commercial, with the potential for an outsized payoff.

In the best of all possible worlds you would do clever and frequent. But it rarely works out that way. The tendency is to work especially hard on the big, splashy effort, with the enormous budget.

But why not go for high frequency, and if not high, then at least elevated risk? It may be a tough choice between the two, but that’s where I would put my money.

Got the idea?

 

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THIS DEMO IS BACKWARDS.

While it may be a good idea to sell the benefit of a paper towel that is strong enough to use, wring out and then re-use, it is not a good idea to show it first being used to clean the floor and then cleaning a frying pan.

If cleaning the floor is their version of a “torture test,” then following it up by wiping a cooking utensil is my version of “yuck.”

If they had simply reversed the visual sequences, it would have been fine.

Get the idea?

 

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YOU’RE THE BEST

When telling people about your product or service, there seem to be certain words and phrases that get used over and over. Certainly the use of superlatives is easier than actually thinking of new fresh language. And because they are superlatives—and your product is clearly the best of its type—you believe they truthfully describe the obvious superiority of your product.

So every product improvement claims it is “Revolutionary.” Every new movie is “The Year’s Best.” Each innovative piece of software offers “The Easiest,” or “Most Reliable.” And, though obviously impossible, the new whatever is “The Last ---- You Will Ever Buy.” And why is every application for the IPhone “The Most Addictive”?

You can see it clearly when casually strolling down a street lined with food establishments. Each one claims, according to its ethnicity, “The Best Pizza, The Best Hot Dog, The Best Ice Cream, The Best Deli.” As do, similarly, the comparable stores on the next thoroughfare.

These are invisible, indistinguishable claims that do nothing except provide you with the bogus feeling that you are actually doing marketing. It is not a waste of time, because it takes none. But it is a waste of money.

You certainly did not start your business enthusiastically aspiring to offer a me-too product. There must be something intrinsically better/different in your product or service that will provide a basis for a marketing communication effort. Your campaign must be grounded in that difference, using a combination of words that are fresh, arresting, unexpected. It must be a thought that comes out of who and what you are, not merely layered on because you saw someone else use them, or you like they boastful way they sound.

Not always easy, but always the best way. (And some do think my new book is the best fun gift for the father of the bride.)

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YOU WILL LOVE THIS BLOG. GUARANTEED*

 

* This guarantee is limited to the purchase price of entry to the blog. Any attempt by a blog reader or any other individual to deliberately damage any online service or website, or otherwise undermine the legitimate operation of the blog is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and/or other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of any provision. If for any reason the blog satisfaction is not capable of being executed as planned, or infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, action of entrants, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of the blog, corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this blog, the blog reserves the right at their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the blog, as determined in its sole discretion. No correspondence regarding blog will be entered into. Guarantee is null and void where taxed or prohibited or frowned upon. If you have actually read this far down, you have a very lonely life and should check out more appropriate blogs, with more of a social leaning. Void where permitted.

The point is that, if you are going to offer a guarantee, don’t make it lawyer friendly; make it consumer friendly or don’t bother.

Get the idea?

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How Big Is Your Idea?

As I’ve often stated, it is not the size of your budget, it is the size of your idea. Marketing opportunities are everywhere, in places you would never think of. Until you think of them. And once you do, they become so obvious you wonder why you never thought of them before.

Like the picture above. Now that you’ve seen it, it does seem pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Ahh, the old 20-20 hindsight. And what is it? Just a straightforward little sticker with a simple message. But because of its unique distribution method, it’s hard to ignore.

So, after you’ve smacked your forehead in the classic, “Wow” moment, think about what media you might be using that is as inexpensive, relevant and shocking. But please, think outside the banana and don’t just come up with a list of banana stickers. That is merely the catalyst for your own original good ideas. And don’t confine yourself to the skin of other fruits, like an apple with a Doctor’s sticker on it, as in, “An apple a day.” Or a pineapple sticker that promotes a skin softening cream.

What other surfaces are there just waiting for you to do something clever with? Look around.

And luckily, since this is my blog, I get to ask the questions without having to come up with the answers.

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