The best marketing strategy…EVER.

February 17, 2011

Filed under: Customer Service, Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field — @ 8:20 am

The coffee cart vendor “guys” on the northwest corner of Spring Street and Avenue of the Americas in NYC might just be the smartest marketers I’ve ever met. But they have never sent me a single email. Nor given me a coupon. Nor “caught” me with a pay-per-click strategy.

They don’t have a website. Or business cards. Or a Facebook page. Heck, I don’t even think they have a brand name (but based on the haphazard, grammatically incorrect signage plastered around the cart…I’d have to guess their brand name is “Coffe and Donut”).

And yet…my recent expression of consumer behavior just proved my loyalty to them beyond a shadow of a doubt.

After nine years of emerging from the same subway exit every morning to grab a coffee from “The Guys” at the very convenient coffee cart right at the top of the stairs…I moved. And on Monday this week, I started taking a DIFFERENT subway line to work, and my path from subway exit to office door takes me past 6 other coffee cart vendors, and NOT past “The Guys.”

But damn if I didn’t walk right past all of them without a single glance, continue past my building’s front door, and head to the corner to “My Guys” (note transformation from general “The” to possessive “My”). And what’s the first thing they said to me?…

“Good morning miss! Why you come from that way today?”

And then I realized why I adore them so much: they are so very aware of me. And not just me, but ALL of their regular customers…and you become a “regular” with these guys by your third purchase. When there’s no line and they can see me coming over from the subway stairs, they have my coffee ready by the time I get to the cart. And when the line is 8 deep and I appear to be antsy, a wink and a nod from them signals me around to the back of the cart for an under-the-radar exchange of coffee-for-money. And when it’s pouring rain in the predawn hours, and I’m fumbling around in my bag to find my wallet, they tell me “No worry, miss. Tomorrow you give.”

What’s the marketing lesson here? Without spending a single dollar on “marketing,” you can inspire loyalty in your customers – and make them ambassadors for your brand – just by doing three simple things: genuinely caring about their needs, serving those needs efficiently, and exceeding their expectations.

I have been to five-star luxury resorts that don’t treat me as well as My Guys do, and yet they make less money off me in one year than those resorts do in one night. This proves that a “brand” can provide exceptional service without fancy training programs, Brand Standards, Mission Statements, marketing tactics, or any of the other hundred “we don’t have the budget for that” excuses that big brands often use as a crutch to justify subpar service.

So…Lal (left) and Abdul (right)…hats off to you. You may have proper names (really?…you mean you’re not actually named Doll, Sweetie, Love, or My Dear, as I’ve been calling you all these years?)…but to me, you’ll always be “My Guys.”

Why publicists don’t feel the love on Valentine’s Day…

February 4, 2011

Filed under: Observations From the Field, Media Relations — @ 8:02 am

Being a publicist on Valentine’s Day is a decidedly unromantic job.

Every year, we have to dissect and exploit the theme of love in new ways that garner media attention for our clients. And while chatting over coffee last week, my Redpoint partner Vickie and I walked down memory lane on all the crazy Valentine’s Day promotions we’ve orchestrated for clients over the years, and…damn, if we didn’t end up feeling like romance mercenaries. Some highlights…

Couples jumping over fire in Armenia for Tufenkian Heritage Hotels.
Wife-carrying contests in Finland (the man wins the wife’s weight in beer…how romantic).
“Sex at Sea” Survey for Royal Caribbean International, proving why “it’s better on the water.”
Do Not Disturb packages at Hyatt Resorts, based on our survey that found that intimacy is the number one reason couples put that sign on their door.
Search for the Greatest Romantic for Princess Cruises, a contest to award a free cruise to a person who could prove worthy (with a potentially viral video, of course) of this lofty title
“Puppy Love” packages at Loews Hotels: who needs a man?…spend the holiday with your dog (cue cuddly visual below). See related post about dogs surfing at Loews…we publicists seem to do an equally good job of “exploiting” pets too.

The lesson we learned here? Publicists – and marketers – simply don’t get to be seduced by the magic of this “Hallmark holiday” like normal people. We’ve peeked behind the curtain far too many times to swoon when romance knocks at our own door on Feb 14.

I mean, really…what can the poor guy do? We see a bouquet of flowers and we think: Couples’ flower arranging classes at The Crillion…intricate rose petal patterns on the bed that spell out Will You Marry Me at La Casa Que Canta…exotic flowers arranged in bento boxes for sushi lovers…etc. We see a box of chocolates and we think: sensual chocolate wrap spa treatments in Maui…a diamond ring hidden in a Godiva gift box…48 hours of chocolate in New England…etc.

You get the idea. Please don’t judge us for it…it’s an occupational hazard. And truthfully, we’re all highly romantic and affectionate people here at Redpoint. Just not on Valentine’s Day.

So this year, we’re going to declare February 15^th “Love Your Publicist Day.” Feel free to send us flowers, chocolate, jewelry, mushy cards…any traditional Valentine’s Day gift you wish. Our romance-mercenary brains shut down for a while starting that day, so we’ll be quite receptive to anything you send. But don’t wait too long past that date…magazines have long lead times, so we’ll be flipping that mercenary switch back on around July, already thinking of the newest outlandish idea to exploit love for next year.

It’s a tough job, but we do it because we ♥♥♥♥ our clients.

Yikes. This ad completely backfired.

January 11, 2011

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field — @ 7:47 am

Saw this ad (click on the image to enlarge) for the NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority on the subway last week and thought…really? This copy was created by an ad agency and likely had to go through multiple client approvals…and no one realized how silly it makes them sound?

The wording implies…

All those subway issues you’ve experienced in the past due to maintenance problems…we knew about them, but we were just sitting around waiting for other things to break in that station
After being in existence for more than a century, we’ve finally figured out how to manage repairs
And now that we’ve had this long overdue epiphany, we want you to admire us for it

I was itching to get out my Sharpie and scribble on this ad: “Dude…reality check: that’s your job. Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back for it.”

There’s a lesson to be learned here about phrasing and positioning. When you’re touting a long overdue change to your operation that you know will please your customers, don’t sabotage the message by first reminding them that you’re late to the party. Look forward, underscore the benefits, and do not seek glory for your efforts to finally come up to scratch.

In contrast…want to see a brilliant example of advertising? Check out the July 31, 2010 post on redpointspeaks.com, “Less Words…More Meaning.”

What your brand says about you when you’re not “branding”…

November 29, 2010

Filed under: Observations From the Field, Branding Strategies — @ 9:51 pm

Last week on the subway, I saw a guy listening to a Sony Walkman. Like…with a cassette tape in it. (note to blog subscribers 21 and under…ask your parents what a cassette tape is)

Not an iPod…or even a Discman. A Walkman. And he wasn’t studying it like it was an exciting artifact. He was just sitting with it in his lap, listening to the music, and bopping his head along with the beat in the carefree way that long-time subway riders often do.

It intrigued me. And as a marketer, something seemed odd to me…out of place. Everything about this guy screamed young, modern, SoHo sophisticate with money. Designer glasses, Swiss Army backpack, messily-stylish haircut. Trendy…but not vintage. He definitely wasn’t going for a “defiant throwback” look. But he clearly LOVED music, and it seemed that any moment, he might start to boogie down in spontaneous performance.

So…what gives with the Walkman? Why did this guy not have the latest version of iPod?

I confess. The branding disconnect overwhelmed my curiosity. And I had to know the story of the Walkman. So I asked him about it.

The answer? So simple. He helped his parents move the weekend prior and while packing up his room, he found his old Walkman and some of the “Gary’s Groovy Mix” tapes he made in high school. So he was just reminiscing. And then he showed me the zillion gigabyte iPod he normally uses. Mystery solved, and my raised eyebrow returned to its usual position.

This got me thinking about the way a brand projects itself. People form an impression with just a single point of contact, and sometimes they catch you at a moment when you’re not in “branding mode.” Like when you continue to use leftover collateral material with your old logo/tagline on it to delay spending money on the new stuff. Or when your hotel has two simultaneous wedding receptions, so your regular dining room guests “will just have to understand” that service will be a little slow that night.

Or when you know that your website’s home page is a mess…but you just don’t have time to deal with it right now.

Or when you didn’t spend the money on just the right photo shoot…so your marketing materials never quite do your brand justice.

In that one second that you relaxed your brand standards, someone formed an impression of you…and it probably wasn’t the one you wanted. Upholding a brand’s image is a 24/7 job, and while limited resources often force us to make less-than-desirable choices, we’ve got to be fierce about protecting our brands. Those first-impression disconnects can turn people away before we ever get them engaged, and not everyone is curious (nosy?) enough to ask the your-brand version of… “Dude, what gives with the Walkman?”…and give you a chance to explain.

So…learn a lesson from Gary. You may be inadvertently sabotaging your own brand image. And while it didn’t matter to Gary what I thought of him during that three-stop subway ride (seriously…a boogie down was imminent), I’ll bet my brand new iPod that first impressions matter to YOUR brand…and your bottom line.

What potato chips taught me about marketing.

November 19, 2010

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field, Spending Budgets Wisely — @ 8:03 am

My Great Aunt Pauline taught me a saying as a child that has served me well as a marketing counselor.

Enough is as good as a feast.

It simply means that as long as you have “enough” of whatever it is…you don’t need more than that.

Now, while I believe she imparted these words of wisdom in response to my plea for the ENTIRE bag of potato chips instead of the – to my mind – miniscule bowl she was offering…it’s handy as a guideline when designing marketing programs.

There comes a point when fleshing out an idea or concept that there are “enough” elements to make it successful…and anything added after that just becomes:

More logistics to manage without adding to the ROI
A distraction of resources from the core focus and objectives
An added cost burden
Too confusing for your audience to effectively “get it”

So, whenever you are tempted to just add that one more thing to whatever program or concept you are developing…think of my Aunt Pauline and ask yourself “yes, this idea might be COOL…but will it be helpful or harmful to the overall objectives?” Use that checklist above to evaluate each new idea, and if it puts the desired results at risk, either table it, swap it out to replace a less effective element, or toss it.

As to the potato chip debate, however, I still stand by my original retort: You just can NEVER have enough…so bring on the feast!

Surprise! It works (almost) every time…

November 11, 2010

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field — @ 9:04 pm

Kudos to Stan Gelber & Sons Heating & Cooling of Uniondale, NY. Never heard of them? Neither did I…until I got this direct mail piece from them.

Of course, all my snail mail marketing usually goes right in the trash (sorry, if you’ve sent me any)…but this darned dog caught my eye on its journey into the wastebasket.

I fished it right out, thinking…why is that dog wearing a hat and scarf? Then, I actually read the entire card, front and back.

And then I thought…damn. They got me. I don’t often think about heating or cooling systems…heck, I don’t even have a dog. But this card suddenly made me wonder if my heating system is ready for the winter.

What arrested my attention was the element of surprise. Even if you think it’s goofy, you cannot help but smile (c’mon, admit it) and be a little curious about this photo.

The point is: it broke through the clutter. Five other direct mail marketing pieces went right into the trash at my house that day, but this one got fished out.

Your lesson from this? Before you can even begin to market to someone, you’ve got to get their attention. And who doesn’t love a good surprise?

Er, no…the CPA is NOT your tax guy.

August 13, 2010

Filed under: Observations From the Field, Spending Budgets Wisely — @ 1:33 pm

Ever feel like you need a Rosetta Stone course in “online marketing speak?”

I’ve sat in meetings with internet marketing strategists on behalf of Redpoint clients, watching some of the acronyms and terms whiz by me (and everyone else) in conversation. But then I see clients proceed to make desicions about how to spend their online marketing dollars…while not fully understanding how things like title tags or geo-targeting really work.

Happily, our friends at Search Engine Strategies magazine recently created a handy “cheat sheet” of terms and acronyms used by online marketers. It’s attached here for your reference. SES Glossary

Print it out. Study up. And make smarter decisions…or at the very least, ask better questions.

Feel free to scribble a few on the inside of your forearm before your next online marketing meeting. I won’t tell.

The secret of change: just do it.

August 2, 2010

Filed under: Marketing Strategies, Observations From the Field — @ 12:37 pm

Recently, during an ad-hoc consulting session with a hotel company (not a Redpoint client), the general manager asked my advice on increasing the effectiveness of their email newsletter campaign. After reviewing a few recent newsletters they’ve sent, he and I had a comical (to me) dialogue about next steps. It went like this:

C: Do you notice that the open rate increases depending on what’s included in the subject line?

GM: We only put the date of the newsletter in the subject line.

C: Oh! So, that’s one simple place to start. Getting people to open the email is the first step toward getting them to read the content. Let’s look at creating a turnkey way to make each subject line more enticing.

GM: Actually, we think that people would prefer to have the date in the subject line, so they can save and sort as needed.

C: But if they’re not even opening them, they never get to the point where they’re saving and sorting. Perhaps if we just add a tiny bit of color and substance to the subject line? We could still keep the date in there if you wish.

GM: Well, we’ve always done it this way, so it doesn’t make sense to change that format now. People are used to it.

C: Based on what you’re telling me, it seems like they’re just used to deleting the emails. If you’d like to get them to open and read the newsletters, we’d need to make some changes to the way they’re receiving them.

GM: What if we change the layout inside, and put the events calendar on the right, and add more photos at the top?

C: That would be wonderful, but we still need to change the subject line in order for them to OPEN the emails and notice all those fabulous changes.

GM: But then someone is going to have to come up with a new subject line each time, and the way it works now, it’s much easier for us to manage. We just have a template and my assistant plugs in all the information.

And there it is…the root of resistance to change: reluctance to do things differently.

It astounds me that people don’t realize that if you want to bring about a change in result…you have to start with a change in your actions. This premise holds true whether you’re trying to get people to open your email newsletter or trying to get your kids to clean their room unprompted (“how many times do I have to tell you…?”).

I guarantee that if you change your actions, you will change the result. You may need to play with your formula to find the sweet spot you seek, but it will come.

And yes, it will feel different, new, weird, or even uncomfortable. That’s how you will know that you’re doing “change” right. Keep your eye on the goal and just do it!