What is on your wish list....

By Kellie J. Lala

If you had the money, what would you buy for yourself this month?  Fun new convertible?  New iPad?  Go on a wonderful vacation to a far off place?  According to the Consumer Electronics Association, smartphones and HDTVs are the top consumer electronics products that U.S. households plan to purchase over the next 12 months.  In fact, more than one in five (22%) households say that their next purchase is a smartphone.  I have not yet made that jump but think that I will do so within the next year (so I guess I am in that 22%).  Other notable trends include:  tablet computers are leading with the biggest growth % for 2012. Blu-ray players are seeing double digit growth along with nearly 31 million U.S. households (26%) that subscribe to video rental and streaming services.  Interesting though is that these consumers are buying electronics at a high rate but overall spending is down an average of $100.00 as they are seeking bargains, deals and deep discounts.  Consumers are waiting for that attractive declining price points.   

So, let me ask you again...what is on your wish list for 2012?  What price will push you to acquire that new toy or gadget?      

How Do We Know if it's Working?

By Glen Gardner/Branding Consultant

As a consultant working with scores of clients, one of the questions I'm
asked most often is, "How do we know if this is working?" At the root of
the question is the issue of measurement. In some cases a client wants
some external justification for making a particular media investment. In
many cases a client asks for "ratings," which I believe is one of the
worst measurement tools for a client.

In effect, ratings (for any media) are measuring something after the
fact. A much better way to measure is start your campaign with a set of
clear objectives for what you need to accomplish. These objectives need
to be realistic and measurable. Then, target the media outlets that are
the best demographic and psychographic fits to deliver those results.
The "how many" information that ratings deliver are far less important
than the "who." Most media outlets have far more bodies than you need to
deliver the desired results. The quality of those prospects is usually
far more important than how many.

Setting measurement criteria and a critical path to reach those goals is
a much more strategic and sensible way to measure effectiveness. I
believe depending on ratings is a way to justify a decision that has
already been made, rather than building a strategic plan to get from a
specific starting point to a specific end-point.

If ratings are the metric, then one could assume the goal would be to
hope for even better ratings for that media outlet in the future. I have
yet to work on a campaign that left a client happy when ratings went up
and their sales were down. There is no correlation between ratings and
results. There is a huge correlation between an outlet's ability to
influence the right demographic with the right creative message and results.

That's why it's so critical for your media partners to take the time to
figure out what you need, rather than spouting about ratings that mean a
lot to them but have little relevance to what you need to have happen.

What Are You REALLY Selling?

A confession, by Julie Hein

I color my hair.  Otherwise I would have white and fuzzy skunk-stripe, placed low enough for most to see since I am quite untall.  I affectionately call the grays "sparklies" and I've been known to hit them with a sharpie if they're prominent at an inopportune time. 

Department stores want me to buy hair dye from them.  I have bought a lot of it, around $10 at a time.  Salons want me to buy it from them and I do that now, from $50-150 dollars at a time. 

To them, I remind (and to you, I suggest that you look to the analogous element of your business) that the reason people like me buy hair dye is so:
* we look younger than we are
* we get a date or a spouse
* we keep said date/spouse
* we have more confidence
* we get a new job or promotion
* we look as good or better than our peers at the HS reunion, especially the old boyfriend's wife.

The CEO at Revlon once said that they sell HOPE.  Not lipstick, not shampoo.  Hope. That's what I'm buying.  What are you selling?  Can you see into the heart of your customer and give them what they really want? 

We're here if you want to talk.