I’ll start off my post with a question. Can anyone tell a different between Rogers and Bell ads? I could until today. While watching TV I happened to catch one of Rogers/Bell spots. I didn’t pay that much attention to it as I was walking away to grab a cup of tea. However, I did catch a few seconds of the visuals (the blue and red couch) and heard the whole voiceover. But as I returned to the living room, it occurred to me that I wasn’t sure who the ad was for. Was it a Rogers ad or a Bell ad?
A little bit of a background for my international readers and friends. Here in Canada, the dominant telecommunications companies are Rogers and Bell, and some would argue Telus belongs up there as well. Both Rogers and Bell compete with one another head-to-head on services such as internet, wireless service, home phone, and TV. In the past few weeks Rogers and Bell have been running ads indirectly referring to one another via imagery why one is better than the other. But somehow the ads from both camps are starting to look almost identical. Even their websites are taking on the same imagery and color schemes.
According to The Toronto Star article Good News For Us in Rogers, Bell Phone Fight both companies are ‘waging a war for your business’ as they get ready for new service providers to enter the market later this year. Having almost identical ads doesn’t help either camp, unless the campaigns are aiming to confuse everyone.
I am always amazed every time I go see a metal band with the amount of people actually attend the concerts. That’s not the amazing part; the amazing part is realizing that metal bands are able to accomplish this with minimum or no airplay and with very little marketing budgets. Take Iron Maiden for example, for more than 2 decades they have been able to fill arenas across the planet consistently, while artists from other genres with massive marketing dollars and over saturated air play on radio and TV can barely hold it together for couple of albums. The obvious question is how do the metal bands get people to come to the shows consistently? Judging from my own experiences, minor research and analysis, there’s something that metal bands are doing right. Perhaps marketers can learn a thing or two from heavy metal and apply it to their own strategies. Here’s what the metal bands do to pack the venues, consistently.
Quality Matters. Believe it or not, successful bands spent countless hours and sacrificed a great deal to become good at what they do. Practice and sacrifice. If by some chance a band sells out a venue during their first gig and completely butchers the show, no one will come back to see them again. After all, the core product is the music. Successful bands are good at what they do and always deliver quality show. When you go see Iron Maiden or Slayer show, you know you’ll get the best out of it every time.
Give Them Something To Talk About. Even if the band plays a killer set, they’ve got to get the audience to talk about the show the next day. It could be anything from pyrotechnics to lighting, stage props to mosh-pits, or just simply playing flawlessly. The first time I saw Hatebreed for example, the next day I was telling my friends (even the ones that aren’t metal fans) about a huge circle pit the band got going.
Engage The Fans. Metal bands are great at engaging their audience. They spend time signing autographs outside the tour buses, they get the audience to sing along, and instigate mosh pits. Engaging and interacting with the fans is pivotal when building a loyal fanbase. Anyone ever attended a music festivals knows that performing bands will usually mingle with the fans and sign autographs after they’ve performed.
Build Loyalty. Metal bands that stay true to their roots, music and their fans build a loyal following. Fans that make a personal and emotional connection with bands tend to feel disappointed and frustrated when their favorite metal band “sells out”. Case in point Metallica; they lost a loyal fanbase when they released Load record that signified change in music direction. Only recently Metallica has made an attempt with Death Magnetic to lure back original fans that were with the band from Day 1. Loyal fans are the grease in gears that will prolong bands’ careers.
Scarcity Drives Demand. Another reason why some metal bands can pack each and every show is because they don’t come around too often. There are only so many times in a given time frame fans will pay to see their favorite bands. Playing too often in a given market saturates it and makes the event a commodity. Some bands strategically plan out their touring schedules and routes to ensure that there’s enough demand to fill the arena while commanding a top, yet fair dollar for the seats. Although creating artificial low supply and scarcity is unethical, but saturating the market with product or endless licensing agreements not only devalues the product and the brand, it will also eat into your margins and eventually drive down demand.
Exclusivity. Heavy Metal or any other sub-genre of Metal is not for everyone. Outsiders often dismiss it as real music because the barrier to understanding the genre is fairly large. No one but metal fans have the clearest understanding of this. For the most part they don’t really care. What they care about is the sense of exclusivity the metal bands create. Exclusivity creates a sense of community, pride and ownership.
Cross Promote. Metal bands are very effective at cross-promoting their music. Although most metal fans share similar tastes, but it is a common practice for metal bands to tour together and cross introduce fans to other bands’ music. In recent years, veteran bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Metallica have taken younger bands on the road. This introduces the young to the old and vice-versa.
Promote With No Budget. All of the methods and strategies discussed above can be accomplished with low or no marketing budget. Metal bands let the fans do all their marketing for them. Loyal and happy fans become advocates.
My mom used to say, ‘if you don’t have anything positive to say, then don’t say anything.’ I bet your mom used to tell you same thing. Even if you were born and raised in a different country and culture, the proverb rings true across the globe. A social media equivalent is, ‘if you don’t have anything genuine to say, don’t participate.’ However, some marketers have forgotten mother’s wise words. In a span of just two weeks two companies have been caught running unethical marketing practices. The guilty parties are Belkin, a company rep got caught paying users to submit positive product reviews; and the other is Cummins Nitro and their fake Tourism Queensland video application for the best job in the world.
There was absolutely no point for Belkin to falsify customer testimonials because Belkin actually does make great products. What were they trying to achieve? It was actually to get higher ratings for one of their routers, Belkin F5U301. The right thing to do would have been to go to their customers, and find how to improve the product. With a power of social media this feat can be easily accomplished. Not only would they get support and trust, but also engage their customer base in a genuine conversation. As for the fake video for Tourism Queensland, the job offer was awesome enough to cut through the online media clutter. Although, an example video application is a great idea, but the PR firm and Tourism Queensland should have been more transparent. I don’t think that making a fake video actually boosted publicity for Tourism Queensland. The only thing that both firms gained was public mistrust and scrutiny.
Let this be a lesson to anyone who wishes to engage in social media conversations. You must be genuine and actually contribute to the conversation, if you cannot do that then do not participate.
Seems like everyone these days is a Social Media Guru, Maven, Ninja or [insert new age hipster type of descriptive term here]. I am not intending to single out anyone but I am sure many of you have come across someone who claimed to be a Social Networking or Social Marketing or a Social Media expert, but later to learn that they’re complete fakes. Just because someone joins every single social network under the sun does not make them an instant expert in the space. Experts understand their clients’ goals. Experts are able to execute the strategy. Experts deliver measurable results. Having a deep knowledge, enrolment and familiarity with various social networks only puts you at par with everyone else. It is how you use your knowledge and experience that will put you ahead of the pack.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to develop, launch and sustain a brand. Statistics are unnecessary to realize how deep the brand ocean is getting. It is overwhelming for the consumer to stay afloat and try to decipher between thousands of competing brands. The feeling is much worse for those who build and launch brands. Without a doubt there are a number of tools available that will make brand building job easier, but if everyone is using the same tools, cutting through all the clutter becomes more difficult. Successful brands go beyond the typical tools set, they utilize tools that allow them to tap into human psyche to develop, launch and build long term sustainability for their brands. One of my favorite books on this (subject) is Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Written by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. over 20 years ago; the book is the best seller and a classic. Dr. Cialdini explains the psychology of persuasion and why people say yes. He outlines six principles of persuasion that can be applied universally, including how to get consumers to like, buy and endorse your brand.
PRINCIPLES OF PERSUASION
Reciprocation. In a nutshell, you must give to get. Give your customers something: give out samples, provide great customer support or even a simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way. Giving your customer something increases the chances of them buying your products and endorsing your brand. The following article was posted today on Gizmodo: Student Writes to Steve Jobs, Gets Free Final Cut Studio 2. A simple and a genuine goodwill gesture will go a long way. Think about how you feel about Apple and how much publicity Apple and Steve Jobs will get after reading the article.
Commitment and Consistency. People tend to be fairly consistent in their behavior once they make commitment. A classic example is when car dealerships ask you to put down a refundable deposit on a car to secure it. This creates a level of commitment and the customer feels obligation to be consistent and honor the agreement in purchasing the car. Find a way to give your customer an opportunity to make commitment to your brand. For example, you can offer trial subscriptions to a magazines(if you’re a publisher), software(if you’re a developer) or online services. Commitment and consistency is also expected from the brand. Your customers will be less confused and will like your brand more if you are committed to your goals, promises and agreements, and consistent in your messaging. If you promise to provide long lasting and durable product, then do so. If you mislead your customer he or she will switch brands.
Social Proof. As individualistic as we strive to be, our behavior is strongly influenced by others. Get your brand into as many people’s hands as possible and get them to interact with it. Then let everyone else know that your software or album is the top download of the year, or that you have the #1 selling product in the country, or that you have the bestselling book.
Liking. Consumers are much more persuaded by the brands they like. Although there are a number of factors contributing to why we like one brand over another, but it is the job of the marketers and brand builders to identify the target market and build a brand that the target market will identify with and like.
Authority. We tend to obey authority figures. Get a person of certain authority, depending on your brand and product to recommend or endorse your offer. We often see toothbrush or toothpaste ads with dentists’ endorsement.
Scarcity. It’s no secret that we want things we can’t have. Perceived low supply of a product will generate demand. Depending on the type of brand you are building, you can artificially create scarcity for your brand by making it (for example) luxury; although unattainable by general public, yet desirable because of its exclusivity to the elite. Another instance where perceived scarcity generates demand and commands strict pricing for a product is in the gaming consoles industry. Every time a new generation of video game consoles hits the market the overwhelming demand is bigger than supply due to manufacturing resources available, as was the case with Nintendo Wii. Although unintentional (some may argue otherwise on case by case basis) perceived scarcity creates a steady demand and higher brand value until supply catches up.
Understanding the principles of persuasion and how it applies to your brand can be powerful component of your tool set. Using them individually or in a combination and correctly, these principles can help you build a sustainable and a powerful brand.
Yesterday, my friends and I attended The Toronto Ribfest 2008 hosted by The Rotary Club of Etobicoke. This year, like every year it was held at Centennial Park. This was the very first time I’ve ever attended this type of event. I loved it. It was warm and sunny, perfect day to enjoy BBQ and cold beer. Among the four of us we got four full racks from four different vendors. The ribs were just spectacular from all four vendors. This entry is not about who had the best ribs; it’s about how we selected the rib vendors, about who sold them the best, and how.
First and foremost I’d like to say that the rib vendors all sold their ribs the same way.
- All proudly displayed their trophies at their stands
- All proudly advertised their accomplishments/winnings
- All had the same layout of their signage
- All had the same pricing
None had any differentiating sales and marketing tools. The only time you could differentiate among them, is after you’ve bit into the rack. Even vendors’ names were hidden among all the pennants and banners of accomplishments. If I went into the fair blindly I’d have a hard time choosing a vendor to try ribs from. So many vendors, so little room in the stomach. Luckily we had a plan. Our first two vendors were based on a recommendation by a friend who attended Toronto Ribfest a day earlier. Both vendors had the shortest line ups and probably the smallest stands at the fair; and their ribs were way better than the other two vendors we visited; who had huge lineups and huge stands.
As you can see from my pictures posted. The stands and signage look identical. As I was leaving the event, I thought to myself… there’s a got to be a better way to stand out. Without going overboard or being tacky here are some ideas that would attract the public to a stand.
- Create some kind of fire-shooting contraption at the top of the stand
- Get a giant inflatable gorilla or a pig, and put it on top of your stand.
- Create a sign that is equivalent in size of other stands that basically reads (in tongue and cheek humor) “We also won the same awards!” or “Some pigs dream of becoming doctors, other dream of becoming best ribs in town!”
It’s one thing to attract unsuspecting public, but it’s another to keep them there and spread the good word about your ribs. That means you actually have to make delicious ribs and keep the line moving fast.
Question: Who out there thinks that advertising on trash cans and bus benches is an effective way to spend advertising dollars? Unless you’re a used car salesman, real estate agent or a pizza shop you’d say that advertising on benches and trash cans is a disgusting waste of money. There are several reasons why I think that this type of out of home advertising is ineffective:
- it tarnishes brand image and equity
- ads are usually small
- ads are poorly designed
- ads tend to be blocked by dirt on the trash can or by people sitting on the bench waiting for the bus
With that being said, I was almost converted into believing otherwise when I saw a MINI Cooper ad.
The advertising agency used a previously ugly and useless medium and made it attractive and effective. It’s design is simple, slick, and the wrap advertising utilizes trash cans disposal holes as a part of it’s message.
I would typically walk by it and never give it one (never mind the second) look, but this time I was stopped in my tracks. However, I am not convinced that this type of advertising will translate to direct sales immediately, but perhaps in the long term. What MINI is doing is reinforcing it’s cool, youthful, fun and rebellious brand image. The ad also playfully encourages you to get rid of your old and boring car.
Although the advertising agency has done a great job (with MINI Cooper brand) with this wrap advertising, I am still skeptical about the effectiveness of trash can advertising.
