Archive of ‘Marketing‘

Back in September, I was one of the winners for Blenz’s SuperTweetWeek, nabbing myself a sweet $25.00 gift card. Time passed, the card never arrived, and all was forgotten – until this Monday, when I tweeted my situation.

In less than a day, the lovely Linda Olsen responded the following:

The very next day, the card arrived, with a letter (pictured above), signed by George Moen (the president of Blenz) himself.

It’s frustrating that a coffee shop treats me better than companies who have several thousand dollars worth of my business. That said, it’s that’s kind of attention that makes Blenz great; they really know how to appreciate and take care of their customers – even when giving away free swag. Thanks for being awesome, Blenz!

Do you love Blenz? First person (in Vancouver) to comment gets a free Blenz coffee on me!

While I was cleaning my inbox, this AdSense unit popped up:

“Sony’s eBook Reader – Re-kindle your love for reading Complimentary custom engraving!”

Re-KINDLE. Hah. The word-play geek in me is pleased. Well played, Sony marketing. Well played.

Back when Marketing Ruined My Life (my now-defunct, marketing blog) was still around, I had a number of posts dedicated to clever outdoor ads. Helping us revisit that tradition are two upcoming billboards for Sega’s highly-anticipated action game, Bayonetta.

Each board reaches six feet wide and will feature a panel of detachable flyers, covering what one can only assume to be a naked Bayonetta. Or not. The only way to tell is to swallow that pride and grab a flyer.

These ads are set to run between October 26th and November 1st in Shinjuku Station, Tokyo, so if you’re in the area, don’t forget to grab a shot and fill us in!

[ Photos and news courtesy of Kotaku. ]

Update (2009/10/29)
The ad went live and the flyers are gone. What’s underneath? Hair.

Last Thursday, Monique Trottier from Boxcar Marketing and I were interviewed on CBC Radio One to take a look at how companies are marketing in the recession.

With wallets clenched tight, many companies are cutting back on promotions – and this is a mistake. In a healthy economy, advertisements are plenty and marketers are faced with ‘breaking through the clutter’. In tougher times, companies turn down their communications, lowering the noise and making it easier to rise to the top while the competition sleeps; it’s really no different than buying low and selling high.

The companies who are taking advantage of the situation are pitching their services a few different ways:

1. Times are bad and we get you; trust us, buy from us, or try out our service for free or at a reduced price.
2. We’re cheap and you need to save money; buy from us at a reduced price.
3. We’re expensive, but we’ll save you money in the long run; buy from us.
4. Times are bad, but because they are, we have this limited time offer; buy from us while it lasts.

Using these tactics, some companies, like McDonalds, perform better in recessions than in brighter times; in January, McDonalds saw a 7.1% increase in global sales, which was attributed to their ‘recession-resistant’ menu – a selection of low(er)-budget eats.

Though McDonalds has seen success through cost cutting, it’s not a universally applicable tactic. Premium brands (e.g. Gucci, Armani, Ferrari, Apple, etc.) would be crippling themselves in the long run; where is the prestige if girl every carries Louis Vuitton? Even in hard times, you’re not likely to find sales or special promotions for these items.

No matter who you are, marketing is crucial in a recession. It’s dumbfounding that advertising is the first thing cut in hard times; how are people supposed to buy from you if they don’t know you exist? Fight the fear, make that investment, and scream at the top of your lungs; it’s an uphill battle once the world wakes.

I’ve been waiting a very long time for someone to do this. Frankly, even if people missed it during the Superbowl, it’s got viral written all over it. It’s just silly; I love it. Kudos.

Have any other favourite over-the-top ads? Leave them in the comments!

In most circles, there’s someone who forwards along dozens of emails every week. In mine, it’s my Mom. While admittedly, I don’t read all of them, there are a few that are real gems. Here’s one for those economy jitters:

This story is about a man who once upon a time was selling hotdogs by the roadside.
He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers.
He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio.
His eyes were weak, so he never watched television.
But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs.

He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales.
His sales and profit went up.
He ordered more a more raw material and buns and use to sale more.
He recruited few more supporting staff to serve more customers.
He started offering home deliveries.
Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove.

As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from College, joined his father.
Then something strange happened.

The son asked, “Dad, aren’t you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?”
The father replied, “No, but tell me about it.”
The son said, “The international situation is terrible.
The domestic situation is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad times.”

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV.
He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly.
So the next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns, took down the colourful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic.

He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs.
Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his hotdog stand.
And his sales started coming down rapidly, [and with it, the profit].

The father said to his son, “Son, you were right”.
“We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time.”

Mass hysteria is a scary thing.  It’s funny how the whole notion of “buy low, sell high” goes out the window when we’re in the bear.   I’d argue we have more opportunity now than while we were better.

On a marketing note, people are looking for cheaper entertainment.  That means more time in front of the television and the computer.  Jump on it, internet marketers.  Everyone’s watching.