The above is an interesting case study in this month's issue of Inc. Magazine that examines how one small, start-up company decided to compete against a huge incumbent that has very high awarenss and brand recognition.
I especially like they way Arts PDF studied the marketplace, understood consumer desires and attacked a weakness in the larger competitor. Only time and the marketplace will tell how successful their strategy is.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20060501/handson-casestudy.html
http://www.artspdf.com
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The marketing secrets of Stonehenge
Earlier today I was riding my Goldwing motorcycle back home to Charlottesville, VA (USA) after visiting a customer in Blacksburg, VA (hey, we all have to conserve gas and save money somehow). Becoming a bit tired of the monotony of riding with the trucks on I-81, I decided to take parallel Route 11 to take in a bit of scenery and local flavor.
As I was enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Natural Bridge, VA, I suddenly passed something that grabbed my attention and compelled me to turn around and get a better look.
Alas, I had discovered "Foamhenge" and re-connected with a true American marketing phenomenon known as The Roadside Attraction.
Roadside attractions are great examples of creative marketing. These often odd attractions are just wild and zany enough to get weary travelers to stop and spend time and money in a locality. Targeted just perfectly to people driving along a road looking for adventure and a bit of a rest, roadside attractions give people something to enjoy while arming them with great stories to tell about their travels. These things, when done right, garner great word of mouth marketing.
As we in America begin another summer vacation season this weekend, I'm announcing "The 2006 Great American Roadside Attraction Marketing Contest". Let's honor the great American marketers who build and operate roadside attractions.
Send your stories and photos of your favorite roadside attractions this summer along with critical analysis from a marketing perspective. Tell us why you thought they were brilliant marketing and examine how effectively they market locations and promote tourism. I'm not sure what prize the winner will get yet, but I'll think of something. At the very least the winner will be featured on this blog along with their story and photos of the winning attraction.
As we begin another summer season, let us not forget the real meaning of Memorial Day next Monday. Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have died in our nation's service. We should be ever mindful of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy our freedom.
And if you just happen to be driving through Virginia this summer, The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA is a great place to honor some of those who died in service to our great country.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/VANATfoamhenge.html
http://www.naturalbridgeva.com
http://www.dday.org
As I was enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Natural Bridge, VA, I suddenly passed something that grabbed my attention and compelled me to turn around and get a better look.
Alas, I had discovered "Foamhenge" and re-connected with a true American marketing phenomenon known as The Roadside Attraction.
Roadside attractions are great examples of creative marketing. These often odd attractions are just wild and zany enough to get weary travelers to stop and spend time and money in a locality. Targeted just perfectly to people driving along a road looking for adventure and a bit of a rest, roadside attractions give people something to enjoy while arming them with great stories to tell about their travels. These things, when done right, garner great word of mouth marketing.
As we in America begin another summer vacation season this weekend, I'm announcing "The 2006 Great American Roadside Attraction Marketing Contest". Let's honor the great American marketers who build and operate roadside attractions.
Send your stories and photos of your favorite roadside attractions this summer along with critical analysis from a marketing perspective. Tell us why you thought they were brilliant marketing and examine how effectively they market locations and promote tourism. I'm not sure what prize the winner will get yet, but I'll think of something. At the very least the winner will be featured on this blog along with their story and photos of the winning attraction.
As we begin another summer season, let us not forget the real meaning of Memorial Day next Monday. Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have died in our nation's service. We should be ever mindful of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy our freedom.
And if you just happen to be driving through Virginia this summer, The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA is a great place to honor some of those who died in service to our great country.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/VANATfoamhenge.html
http://www.naturalbridgeva.com
http://www.dday.org
Sunday, May 21, 2006
How to create mass market appeal for your brand like a moth drawn to the flame
A brand was very successful and profitable. This brand started as a small, exclusive brand that catered to upscale consumers with refined tastes and was built slowly through innovative and creative direct marketing efforts.
The brand had a wonderful story to tell and it told that story effectively. Communications included a compelling offer to which consumers responded.
Over time, this brand continued to grow at a slow but steady pace while loyalty amongst its customers grew to a point where they became fanatical about the brand and did not miss an opportunity to talk about the brand to their friends and recommend the brand to them. Word of mouth was strong and favorable. Customers were almost exclusively repeat customers who purchased the brand at regular intervals. The brand was highly profitable.
Then one day, a much larger company targeted the brand and bought it so they could add it to their portfolio. Attracted by the customer loyalty and profitability of the brand, Mega Conglomerated Corp., Inc. figured that if they plugged this relatively small brand into its mega wide distribution and supported it with mega mass marketing and mega advertising that they could expect a mega multiplier return on the profit number.
Mega Conglomerated Corp., Inc. immediately ceased the campy direct marketing efforts and started a campaign to promote the brand through much sexier and slicker mass advertising and in-store promotions throughout its distribution network of thousands of retail stores where the product was now available. After all, it figured, if this brand was successful before, it would be much more successful with the right marketing support that would put it in front of a mass audience who would overwhelmingly respond and purchase it willingly and more easily from a local retail store.
And then it happened.
Sales dropped. Loyalty tanked. The brand started bleeding red ink. Panic set in at Mega Conglomerated Corp., Inc. and fingers were pointed in all directions to explain why.
Through it all, not a single thing changed about the physical product itself.
What's the moral of this story?
There are many significant things to be learned.
A brand is much more than the physical product itself. A brand is an entity that makes a promise of value. This promise can speak in terms of quality, reliability, superiority, style of dialog and exclusivity--not just functionality and certainly not just features.
A brand that appeals to a niche market may do so precisely because those consumers are looking for a brand that is off the beaten path and cannot be found just anywhere. Consumers might want a brand that does not have mass appeal because it makes them feel like they have found an exclusive, superior brand that is not for the common folk. It makes them feel special because they have to take a few extra steps to purchase the product. Something that they, unlike others, are willing to do.
A brand might be successful precisely because it is marketed in a particular manner to a particular audience and trying to sell it to the masses will strip away the very reasons the original audience bought it in the first place.
This story also teaches us that we must thoroughly understand our brands' sources of equity before we change anything about them. Consumer insight is critical and decisions cannot be made in a vacuum or be driven by arrogance and greed. We should be willing to be humbled by a smaller brand doing things right and accept the fact that maybe, just maybe, we can learn something from it.
Sometimes the least sexy marketing and promotion for a brand is actually the best for it.
Thinking about transitioning to a mass scale for your brand might be a trap. Some brands are better suited to go deeper and grow slowly rather than go broad and grow rapidly. How do you know? Get to know your brand and understand what its sources of equity are.
Lastly, sometimes the owner of the brand is as critical to the success or failure of the brand as anything else. It might be this last fact that is hardest for us to accept.
The brand had a wonderful story to tell and it told that story effectively. Communications included a compelling offer to which consumers responded.
Over time, this brand continued to grow at a slow but steady pace while loyalty amongst its customers grew to a point where they became fanatical about the brand and did not miss an opportunity to talk about the brand to their friends and recommend the brand to them. Word of mouth was strong and favorable. Customers were almost exclusively repeat customers who purchased the brand at regular intervals. The brand was highly profitable.
Then one day, a much larger company targeted the brand and bought it so they could add it to their portfolio. Attracted by the customer loyalty and profitability of the brand, Mega Conglomerated Corp., Inc. figured that if they plugged this relatively small brand into its mega wide distribution and supported it with mega mass marketing and mega advertising that they could expect a mega multiplier return on the profit number.
Mega Conglomerated Corp., Inc. immediately ceased the campy direct marketing efforts and started a campaign to promote the brand through much sexier and slicker mass advertising and in-store promotions throughout its distribution network of thousands of retail stores where the product was now available. After all, it figured, if this brand was successful before, it would be much more successful with the right marketing support that would put it in front of a mass audience who would overwhelmingly respond and purchase it willingly and more easily from a local retail store.
And then it happened.
Sales dropped. Loyalty tanked. The brand started bleeding red ink. Panic set in at Mega Conglomerated Corp., Inc. and fingers were pointed in all directions to explain why.
Through it all, not a single thing changed about the physical product itself.
What's the moral of this story?
There are many significant things to be learned.
A brand is much more than the physical product itself. A brand is an entity that makes a promise of value. This promise can speak in terms of quality, reliability, superiority, style of dialog and exclusivity--not just functionality and certainly not just features.
A brand that appeals to a niche market may do so precisely because those consumers are looking for a brand that is off the beaten path and cannot be found just anywhere. Consumers might want a brand that does not have mass appeal because it makes them feel like they have found an exclusive, superior brand that is not for the common folk. It makes them feel special because they have to take a few extra steps to purchase the product. Something that they, unlike others, are willing to do.
A brand might be successful precisely because it is marketed in a particular manner to a particular audience and trying to sell it to the masses will strip away the very reasons the original audience bought it in the first place.
This story also teaches us that we must thoroughly understand our brands' sources of equity before we change anything about them. Consumer insight is critical and decisions cannot be made in a vacuum or be driven by arrogance and greed. We should be willing to be humbled by a smaller brand doing things right and accept the fact that maybe, just maybe, we can learn something from it.
Sometimes the least sexy marketing and promotion for a brand is actually the best for it.
Thinking about transitioning to a mass scale for your brand might be a trap. Some brands are better suited to go deeper and grow slowly rather than go broad and grow rapidly. How do you know? Get to know your brand and understand what its sources of equity are.
Lastly, sometimes the owner of the brand is as critical to the success or failure of the brand as anything else. It might be this last fact that is hardest for us to accept.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Psst! 5 Marketing Secrets You Can Copy from the Big Guys
In the continuing spirit of passing along useful marketing and branding information, the May/June issue of Successful Promotions Magazine has an article entitled, "Psst! 5 Marketing Secrets You Can Copy from the Big Guys". The 5 secrets (with my comments following each) are:
1) A little attitude goes a long way.
A bit of edgy attitude can be a powerful and compelling part of your brand's personality.
2) Say something different.
This tip is classic positioning strategy. As I've stated before, your brands must communicate and promise unique value not found anywhere else. If you claim a unique position, it naturally follows that your brand can make claims not found anywhere else.
3) Viral Marketing doesn't have to be online.
There are plenty of ways to take advantage of offline viral marketing opportunities.
4) Be consistent with your brand message.
Use an Integrated Marketing Communications strategy to ensure your brand is communicating the same things consistently across all media.
5) Engagement of consumers, whether you're a big or small company, doesn't have to cost a lot.
Customer interaction and intimacy can and should be achieved through your branding. You should be able to find cost-effective ways to open the lines of communication with your customers.
The article also included 4 ways to stay in business (again, with my comments following each):
1) Stay true to your brand.
Let your guide be the answer to the question, "What is in the best interest of the brand?", when making critical decisions. Deliver on your brand promises every time -- without fail.
2) Stay with the same look.
Trust me, you will get tired of your look and communications long before your customers do. The only way to know if it is time to refine your message or look is to conduct research. Resist the urge to change for as long as you can because a consistent look helps build trust, awareness and brand loyalty.
3) Stay in touch with your customers' needs.
I don't even need to add anything to this one. Your brand is nothing if it is not in touch with customer needs.
4) Stay on target.
Never waiver from understanding, communicating, and supporting your brands' core values.
1) A little attitude goes a long way.
A bit of edgy attitude can be a powerful and compelling part of your brand's personality.
2) Say something different.
This tip is classic positioning strategy. As I've stated before, your brands must communicate and promise unique value not found anywhere else. If you claim a unique position, it naturally follows that your brand can make claims not found anywhere else.
3) Viral Marketing doesn't have to be online.
There are plenty of ways to take advantage of offline viral marketing opportunities.
4) Be consistent with your brand message.
Use an Integrated Marketing Communications strategy to ensure your brand is communicating the same things consistently across all media.
5) Engagement of consumers, whether you're a big or small company, doesn't have to cost a lot.
Customer interaction and intimacy can and should be achieved through your branding. You should be able to find cost-effective ways to open the lines of communication with your customers.
The article also included 4 ways to stay in business (again, with my comments following each):
1) Stay true to your brand.
Let your guide be the answer to the question, "What is in the best interest of the brand?", when making critical decisions. Deliver on your brand promises every time -- without fail.
2) Stay with the same look.
Trust me, you will get tired of your look and communications long before your customers do. The only way to know if it is time to refine your message or look is to conduct research. Resist the urge to change for as long as you can because a consistent look helps build trust, awareness and brand loyalty.
3) Stay in touch with your customers' needs.
I don't even need to add anything to this one. Your brand is nothing if it is not in touch with customer needs.
4) Stay on target.
Never waiver from understanding, communicating, and supporting your brands' core values.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Battle of the Brands
I just got my mail for the day and received my new issue of MultiChannel Merchant (May, 2006 issue).
Right on the front cover is a story with the title, "Battle of the Brands" that discusses the importance of building strong brands and why it is now more difficult to build powerhouse brands than ever before.
Among the suggested ways to build strong bands:
* Differentiate on more than just price
* Focus on customer service and technical support and offer a range of products or vertical services
* Create powerful and compelling personalities for your brands
* Use sub-brands to build your overall brand (covered in my new, free audio book)
* Consistently offer something new
* Keep customers loyal
I encourage you to read the article.
Right on the front cover is a story with the title, "Battle of the Brands" that discusses the importance of building strong brands and why it is now more difficult to build powerhouse brands than ever before.
Among the suggested ways to build strong bands:
* Differentiate on more than just price
* Focus on customer service and technical support and offer a range of products or vertical services
* Create powerful and compelling personalities for your brands
* Use sub-brands to build your overall brand (covered in my new, free audio book)
* Consistently offer something new
* Keep customers loyal
I encourage you to read the article.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
You can learn a lot from a chain saw
I couldn't help but notice an advertisement in USAToday earlier this week that nicely illustrated a brand that gets it and is treating its brand with the proper respect.
The Stihl ad starts with the headline, "Why is the world's number one selling brand of chain saw not sold at Lowe's or The Home Depot?".
Stihl then explains in the ad why it refuses to let its brand fall into commodity status by allowing it to be sold at large box stores right next to competing brands so as to strip out much of its promise of brand value. The ad then lays out the case.
From the few words in the ad, here's what the reader takes away from the message.
Stihl's 8,000 dealers nationwide are critical to how Stihl sells its saws. They rely on those dealers to provide advice, straight talk, support and service for its chain saws. The brand believes that how it sells its saws is every bit as important and the saws themselves. They believe in and support their dealer network. They believe those dealers provide a level of expert advice, support and service that cannot be matched by competing brands. They will not allow their brand to be sold alongside competing brands without thorough discussion of the pros and cons of the Stihl brand versus competing brands. Stihl will not let consumers make decisions based on price alone without an understanding of the additional value the brand offers. Stihl will not cede control of its brand to others.
There are lessons to be learned.
We should not allow our brands to be compared on price alone. We must create brands that make promises of value so we can say, "Mr./Ms. Customer, you cannot directly compare our brand to competing brands on price alone. Our brand is different and here's why...".
Stihl's brand has integrity. Stihl is obviously a defender of its brand and will tell consumers why the Stihl brand represents a better choice.
Simply by analyzing Stihl's brand communication makes it clear why it is the #1 selling brand of chain saw.
It certainly promises value and communicates it in a way that powerful brands should.
USAToday, The Home Depot, Lowe's and Stihl are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Free marketing and branding audio book MP3 / podcast
(Simply click on or right-click and "save as" on the icon above.)
Please feel free to download and listen to my new audio book on how to build powerful brands and extraordinary organizations.
This seminar covers many topics including: How and why to create a powerful Vision for your business; Why traditional brand management fails; How to conduct a brand audit; The importance of Integrated Marketing Communications; and Why Internal Branding is so important for your business. Perfect for small business owners and entrepreneurs, this audio book also contains information that will be useful to just about any professional marketer. This audio book also includes bonus material where I discuss moral marketing and why it is more important than ever for marketers to appeal to the best in the human spirit.
Running time: 25:25
File format: MP3, 17.4MB
All I ask in return is that you let me know what you think about the material.
Cheers!
-Dave
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