June 26th, 2008
My father, Mike Turner, was a Mad Man.
Not in a “crazy” sense, but in the sense that he worked on Madison Avenue during the glory days of advertising — the 1960s. (In fact, he worked with David Ogilvy during a time when Ogilvy & Mather was such a powerhouse that they went seven years without losing a pitch. Yes, seven years.)
Now, the New York Public Library is sponsoring an exhibit that features some of the great campaigns from the past 80 years. The show, called “The Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue” was developed, in part, because of all the attention the TV series “Mad Men” has focused on the Madison Avenue of the 1960s.
The exhibit features many big personalities — Bill Bernbach, David Ogilvy, Mary Wells Lawrence and others. It also features many big campaigns — “Does she or doesn’t she?” “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” and “Where’s the beef?” to name just a few.
But most importantly, it features a message about marketing that we can all learn from — that if you want to sell something to a consumer, you must connect with them both on a logical and an emotional level, otherwise your relationship with them will be short-lived.
That’s a technique that works as well today as it did on Madison Avenue in the 1960s. And it’s something we should all remember, whether we’re developing an e-newsletter or a multi-million dollar integrated communications program.
Madison Avenue | 
View Comments
June 24th, 2008
J.C. Penney, the Plano, Texas, retailer is upset about a fake ad that has shown up on YouTube recently. The ad, called Speed Dressing, was apparently created either by Saatchi (who denies having anything to do with it) or possibly a production company that has worked with Saatchi in the past.
The fake ad is creating quite a stir because it appears to be endorsing teen sex. The spot shows two teens in their own bedrooms stripping down to their underwear in an attempt to practice putting on their clothes quickly. This is done in preparation for the boy and girl to spend some time alone in the girl’s basement while the mother is upstairs.
According the The Wall Street Journal, Alan Siegel, chief executive of New York strategic-branding company Siegel + Gale said, “It’s not going to reflect well on the brand in Middle America, but the ad is nicely done and the people in it are attractive; young people in New York and L.A. will get a kick out of it.”
Let’s hope that the young people of America get their values from Middle America rather than New York or L.A. Not to get off on a tangent here, but if Hollywood is going to set the standard for appropriate behavior, we have a lot more to worry about than a simple little fake ad on YouTube.
J.C. Penney, YouTube | View Comments
June 18th, 2008
Wow. Glaceau has it figured out.
A few nights ago, I had the opportunity to chat with an acquaintance of mine from The Coca-Cola Company. We talked about how impressed we were with the success that the Glaceau brand has had both before and after its acquisition by Coca-Cola.
In case you don’t know, Glaceau is the maker of Vitaminwater, Fruitwater, Smartwater and Vitaminenergy. One of the things that has contributed to their astronomical growth is their ability to talk to consumers as though they’re human beings (see my previous post on this topic called, “What Does Sprint Know About Marketing That You Don’t?“).
When you’re talking to your customers, whether it’s through a brochure, through packaging or even through your receptionist, please talk to them like they’re you’re friend. (After all, they are your friend.)
Here’s a great example of how Glaceau does this from the back of the Formula 50 Vitaminwater packaging:
“who wouldn’t want to live large like 50? that’s just how he rolls. he doesn’t just make albums… he makes them multi-platinum. he doesn’t just make movies… he makes them with award winning actors… it only makes sense that 50′s drink is large too. it’s packed with the key nutrients he needs to get through his day.”
It’s just copy on the back of a bottle, but it connects on an emotional level. And research indicates that when you connect emotionally with your consumer, they’re 37% more likely to buy your product.
So go. And write some copy. And make sure that it’s as fun, lighthearted and engaging as the copy on the Vitaminwater packaging.
Glaceau, Vitaminwater | View Comments
June 13th, 2008
One of our most popular 60 Second Marketer videos is entitled What’s a Widget? It’s gotten plenty of views on The 60 Second Marketer site as well as at our YouTube page.
A widget, as most of our readers know, is a little web gadget that has some sort of functionality to it. It can be a stock ticker, a calculator, a news feed or just about any other kind of device designed to provide information.
I’ve just come across a terrific resource that’s perfect for people who want to add widgets to their websites. It’s called Widgetbox and it’s packed with great little tools that can easily be added to your website. In fact, on the 60 Second Articles page, you’ll see the Google Search Widget that was added to this site using Widgetbox’s tools.
So if you’re interested in tracking down a widget for your website and you don’t want to build one yourself, just visit Widgetbox and you’ll be ready to rock n’ roll in no time.
Widgets | View Comments
June 12th, 2008
Budweiser. It’s been around for more than 100 years. And it’s almost as iconic as Coca-Cola or McDonald’s.
But the news from overseas is that InBev, the maker of Stella Artois, Beck’s and Brahma, wants to buy Anheuser-Busch & Co. for $46.4 billion. Executives at InBev said they would use its global distribution networks to boost sales of Budweiser in places such as Canada, Latin America, China and Europe.
InBev’s takeover bid is the result of the weak U.S. dollar, which gives foreign countries a lot of financial clout. Some of them have been eying U.S. companies for years just waiting for an opportunity like this.
Will the Budweiser brand suffer as a result of a foreign takeover? Hardly. InBev, if they’re successful, will do whatever they can to leverage their international distribution system to sell Budweiser in as many countries as it can.
Remember, in the world of beverages, whether you’re Pepsi, Starbucks or Budweiser, distribution has just about as much to do with your success as marketing does.
And that’s a little-known fact that the high-paid marketers at those companies would rather keep quiet.
Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Starbucks | View Comments
June 10th, 2008
Apple is at it again.
As discussed in previous posts, Apple (and its knucklehead CEO, Steve Jobs) are marketing geniuses. They not only have a knack for creating extremely usable computers, software and gadgets, they also have a knack for marketing the hell out of them.
Well, they’re at it again. They’ve launched the new iPhone and, like its predecessors, it will be a huge success. Why? Two reasons: 1) They’ve built one of the most powerful brands in the world, and 2) They create a sense of scarcity every time they launch a new product.
Remember what your economics professor taught you about supply and demand? When a product’s demand exceeds supply, you can charge a premium. And that’s exactly what Apple does — they create the perception that demand will outstrip supply so that eager consumers will rush to the store and pay a premium for their new product.
Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s quite brilliant. And just one more feather in the cap of Steve Jobs and the rest of the geniuses at Apple.
Apple, Steve Jobs | View Comments
June 4th, 2008
We can all learn a few things from the Eagles.
Even though we may not be born with their natural musical talent, we can learn the value of a brand though them.
The following excerpt, written in a recent Rolling Stone article, sums up why a band like the Eagles understands the power of a brand as much as they understand the power of their band.
From Rolling Stone: “In an era when almost nobody sells more than a few hundred thousand copies, Long Road Out of Eden has sold 6.1 million internationally. The Eagles manager figured that the band was an established brand with an established audience with a habit of buying albums, not downloading. The Eagles therefore had no need of a record label’s star-making machinery. He cut a deal directly with Wal-Mart to sell the double album for $11.88, less than a normal first run single CD, while the Eagles collected twice the normal royalty (four dollars). Other chain stores simply bought their albums at Wal-Mart and marked them up a few bucks. Everybody made money, except the record companies, who were cut out.”
Yes, the Eagles have a knack for writing great pop tunes. And yes, they’re all gazillionaires as a result. But somebody — the Eagles themselves? Their managers? — has the smarts to see that, first and foremost, the Eagles are a brand.
And that’s money in the bank.
Uncategorized | View Comments
My father, Mike Turner, was a Mad Man.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Youtube
Facebook
RSS