Archive for the ‘marketing’ Category

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Marketing Before, During and After

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

Since I’m on a major Seth Godin kick these days, I thought I’d share  some thoughts on a blog post he wrote called Upstream and Downstream. It suggests companies and individuals not be confined by the parameters of just what it is they do or make. It discusses all the important things that happen BEFORE the service or product is made, and what happens AFTER – and how getting involved with the upstream and the downstream can drastically improve the results of, well, the little thing you’re doing in the middle…creating your widget.

We’ve been doing a lot more upstream and downstream projects for our clients lately, and frankly we love it. Why? It creates a better outcome for everyone when a creative agency gets a seat at the planning, execution and after-market table. Instead of  just churning out ads for products or services at the time the product is ready for market, we get to provide our client value in the upstream by providing a unique marketing perspective early on – about what tweaks and enhancements they can do to that product or service to help help it sell better BEFORE it goes to market. Our upstream projects include product naming, experiential input (such as interior spaces, event planning, team training), package design, usability, new product formulations, and more.

And downstream is just as exciting. We have been asked to execute strategies to keep consumers engaged with product once it is sold, to cross-sell related merchandise, to create loyalty programs to keep them coming back for more, and to create digital and social communities where consumers can interact with other users.

What are you doing to take advantage of opportunities in the upstream or downstream of your business? Let me know by commenting to this blog, and  you will be entered to win Seth Godin’s new book Linchpin which I will give away when I get back from vacation later in August.

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Posted in Uncategorized, creative, marketing | 1 Comment »

get results: integrate your marketing efforts

Monday, July 12th, 2010

While there are several definitions for what ‘integrated marketing’ means, we’ll use it in this blog post to define when physical activities (television, print, radio, events, etc.) are blended with website and social media offerings. This integration is a powerful way to achieve your marketing goals, whether they are to drive sales, promote brand awareness, increase online traffic, or get a new message out. Traditional offline activities, like their online counterparts, continue to provide a great deal of marketing potential. The two used together create a combined energy that exceeds the sum of the parts.

Consider how Kraft has recently used integrated marketing in their latest product promotions. For their current Wheat Thins campaign, their stated goal was to increase product discussion and the number of followers of their @CrunchIsCalling account on Twitter. It is clear Kraft has concluded that (1) increased online product discussion and (2) increased followership on Twitter will (3) increase brand affinity, (4) establish a perceived consumer connection and ultimately (5) increase sales.

To bolster their followership, Kraft assembled an on-the-ground response team to seek out Twitter users who tweet about the product. They call their responses interventions and have assembled a Wheat Thins “The Crunch Is Calling” YouTube channel where viewers can watch the response team roll in and interact with each Twitter user.

Of the large number of Internet surfers who see the videos and witness the entertaining interventions, many will seek to invoke their own engagement. The content of the videos will certainly appeal to the demographics that use YouTube and Twitter. These users will very likely engage the brand directly online and will almost certainly share what they have seen both online and offline.

At smith&jones we see online as a major tool in the comprehensive toolkit we use to connect companies with their customers. If you are interested in a marketing campaign with integrated activities; if you want ideas that are unique and captivating; if your goals are to increase brand awareness and connect with your consumers, get in touch with smith&jones. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Posted in Fun, News, Uncategorized, creative, interactive, marketing, technology, water cooler | No Comments »

Breaking old (marketing) habits

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Recently, I was honored to be asked to speak at a conference of the National Speakers Association’s New England chapter. Their conference had three tracks: for corporate, professional, and emerging speakers. My presentation – “Does your marketing back you up? Positioning for competitive advantage” – was to the professional group. (A great audience, by the way! Very engaged and welcoming.) As I spoke to them about the importance of positioning and how vital it is to marketing, it occurred to me that in a sense, the emerging speakers have a leg up: they have a blank slate onto which to create their own unique position in their market. But the group I spoke to had history. Their slate was not blank.
Screen shot 2010-07-01 at 12.09.28 PM
Most companies are in the same boat: they have years of marketing under their belt. Of course, not being brand new has its advantages – having experience and a reputation gives existing businesses something to build on. But, at the same time, marketing can become habitual. “Oh, we always advertise in that publication.” Or, “This is how we describe our services.” Or, “We tried that five years ago; didn’t work.” Do any of these sound familiar?

I encouraged the group to take a fresh look at what they’ve been doing to position and market themselves, and I encourage other marketers to do the same. When it comes time to truly reassess your marketing efforts, sometimes it’s best to not look at what you have been doing, but rather look at what you should be doing.  Try this out: imagine you are creating a brand new company – competing in the same space you’re in now. What kind of company would you create? How would you position yourselves in the competitive landscape? What would be the primary benefit of your products or services for your customers? Keep an open mind, and you might be surprised at the inspiration you find in a blank page!

Posted in Random Thoughts, marketing | No Comments »

It’s that time again!

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

createathon.org

Today is the day!
CreateAthon 2010 prep has officially begun. This afternoon, we will be sending out this year’s applications to local non-profits in the area for CreateAthon. Not sure what this means? Read on.

Founded by RIGGS Partners (an agency in SC) in 1998, CreateAthon is an annual 24-hour creative blitz in the name of charity. Close to 20 agencies in North America participate each September in this worthwhile event. This is our – count it! – EIGHTH year participating in CreateAthon. Over these years, we’ve worked with a variety of causes from child and elderly services, to health initiatives, to the arts and much more to create all kinds of projects totaling over $330,000 in donated time and materials.

How does it work?
Starting today until August 6th, we will accept applications from non-profit organizations. We analyze each one that comes in based on a number of criteria and, while we wish we could help them all with their unique marketing projects, we whittle down to a handful of worthy organizations. Over the weeks leading up to the big event, we gather insight into their causes, define objectives and nail down strategies for each of their projects, as well as collect all of the information and files we’ll need for our all-nighter. Then, at noon on September 23rd, we get to work! The next morning, we present our final ideas to each of the non-profits. They have the rest of the morning to make sure all t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted then we call it a day (or night… or what time is it?) and head home for the weekend to catch up on some much needed ZZZs.

Know someone who should apply?
Send us an email at createathon@smithnjones.com or head over to smithnjones.com/create to download an application.

Posted in CreateAthon, marketing | No Comments »

You know you are a Linchpin if…

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

A bunch of us were huddled around a project the other day when we noted how gorgeous it was outside. The subject turned to playing hooky and how some of our friends in corporate America thought nothing of calling in sick on such a day to play a round of golf, go to the beach, or to burn up a “personal” day. After all, they have many counterparts in their departments to cover them. Our staffers* here at smith&jones were incredulous that their friends and family couldn’t understand why they, too, wouldn’t join in on a day off.  “I don’t think so,” they laughed, “who will get the ad out!” “Who will pick the right fonts and images?” “Who will decide on the social media mix and make sure our client’s best interest is accounted for when we review the media buy?”

Well, that’s when I realized we have an agency filled with Linchpins.

See, I have been reading Seth Godin’s latest book, Linchpin. And, tomorrow, I will be lucky enough to see him speak in person in Boston during one of the stops on his “Fight the Lizard Road Trip.**” Linchpins are indespensible individuals who aren’t afraid to exert emotional labor. They create connections with our clients (and in our case, with our clients’ clients), they have personal responsibility, they have tremendous passion about what they do, and most importantly – they create art. According to Godin, art is anything that causes an interaction or change to happen – and it’s a personal gift that changes the recipient. To quote from his book:

“It’s the art of interaction…running a meeting, counseling a student…calming an angry customer, managing a designer. If art is a human connection that causes someone to change his mind, then you are an artist.”

According to Linchpin, the industrialized nation as we know it is coming to a close. The days of using people as cogs in a wheel (and therefore being dispensable – like playing golf on a nice day) are also coming to a close. He states that being good isn’t good enough – that being remarkable is where it’s at. That the notion of being paid in exchange for a days work is actually selling out. Think about it – if that’s all there is,  you are not making a meaningful connection with your employer – you are rendering yourself indispensable.

In an interviewlinchpincards conducted by Hubspot, Godin states the next twenty years will be a revolution with many opportunities on the table. Will you be someone holding on waiting for things to go back to “normal?” Or will you realize that this is the new normal?

Will you take advantage? Will you be a Linchpin?

*BTW, thanks to the great staff we have in place here at smith&jones. You are all a great inspiration to me. As I read this book – I see a lot of great qualities in you that Seth Godin writes about. We are lucky to have all of you here. You are each remarkable.

**Check out these cool business cards I got in the mail prior to attending Seth’s talk tomorrow. Can’t wait!

Posted in Edge, Random Thoughts, Uncategorized, marketing, water cooler | No Comments »

Just be yourself

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Remember that great advice your mom would offer when you were nervous about your first day of school? Or perhaps a well-meaning friend before your very first real job interview or a blind date? “Just be yourself!” It probably didn’t seem all that helpful at the time, but they were right. It is always better to be yourself (well, the best version of yourself). Trying to be something you’re not is usually pretty tiring, and people end up seeing right through you. Authenticity is attractive.

As I prepare to give a presentation on positioning later this week at Speaker U, I keep coming back to that advice. I think successful positioning is kind of the same thing: it’s a company presenting its authentic self (okay, the best, most distilled version of itself). Finding yourself isn’t always easy for a business, but it’s so important – and why positioning is such a valuable process. Take a look at how your company markets itself: does it truly communicate the authentic core of who you are? Are you being yourself?

To me, JetBlue is a great example of a company knowing their personality and following through on it. All you have to do is read their tagline to know what they’re about – and it comes through in the language on their site, the ease of booking, even the snacks they serve.

What do you think? Any other brands or companies that exhibit authentic personality come to mind?

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Posted in marketing | 2 Comments »

Lexus’ interactive experience worth the ride

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

lexus-dark-ride-trailer

Lexus spared no expense in this interactive experience for its soon-to-be-launched, the hybrid CT200h. As I tried out this virtual ride that bears my initials, I wondered if that would be enough reason to go out and purchase this sizzling new car when it debuts next February. (You’ll have to stay tuned in the beginning of next year to see if I buy!) The virtual test drive combines film, gaming and lets me choose how I want to guide the driver through a series of adventures. It uses my facebook identity, along with my computer’s camera, my own voice and as much information as I was willing to give Lexus – in other words, the more I was willing to put into the experience, the more I got out of it. At one point, it asked me to tell it a story – if anyone has ever heard one of my stories…you can only imagine. Pretty ridiculous. This Lexus ride is soooo cool, it doesn’t even talk about the fact that it’s fuel efficient – it simply emphasizes the tech and the attitude. Check it out at www.lexusdarkride.com.

Posted in Fun, creative, interactive, marketing, technology, water cooler | No Comments »

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