This Makes Us Happy--But We Already Believed it.

Posted by Julie Hein

Forbes is writing about AM/FM Radio in the car.  In general, Forbes folks are quite smart.

Read it here.

What You Say Matters/Funny Wins

By Glen Gardner/ CEO Glen Gardner and Associates

Every once in a while something happens that reinforces something I've been saying for a long time. Funny Wins! President Barack Obama proved the point this week when he appeared  on the Web talk show Between Two Ferns with comedian/actor Zach Galifianakis.

The problems with ACA and the government's web site have been well documented and discussed to death. The numbers of people using the site have been inching up, until this week. After the president appeared on the webcast, traffic to the site is up 40%. The president delivered a serious message, but there was great entertainment value in that message and it was very funny.

The reason I say funny wins is because funny is easier to remember and stickier than serious. Just think back to the entertainment that you have consumed over your lifetime. Generally it's the funny stuff that sticks. People I'm friends with can quote full scenes from Animal House and Stripes, but would have a hard time coming up with dialog from Terms of Endearment. Wonderful gripping entertainment, just not funny.

When you are thinking about your message, think funny. Not just funny for funny sake, but funny that sells and aids recall.

Funny wins.

Monday Inspiration

Inspiring famous words from Edgar Albert Guest.  Also was used as a backdrop for a 2013 Audi commercial. 

 

Watch it here.

 

Now let’s all go make a difference.

 

   It Couldn’t Be Done

By Edgar Albert Guest 1881–1959

 

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done

But he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one

Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

 

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;

At least no one ever has done it;”

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat

And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

 

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

There are thousands to prophesy failure,

There are thousands to point out to you one by one,

The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing

That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

 

 

 

 

 

Are You Really Open for Business?

By Glen Gardner/CEO Glen Gardner and Associates

The other day I was cruising down the road and happened to get stopped at a light in front of a store. That store had one of those clocks on the door that said, "We are closed, but we'll return at 9AM." The more I thought about that common sign that we all see on a daily basis, the more I thought about it being the equivalent of economic suicide in the year 2014.

There's not much if anything in that store or any other that I can't find on Amazon or Ebay and they are never closed. Perhaps you've seen the latest Amazon plan that anticipates what certain people will buy given their past habits and stock those items either at regional hubs or on the truck so that it can be delivered the same day.

Given that, I don't think I would ever advertise the fact that I'm closed. The expectation in this day and age is a 24-hour business cycle. That doesn't mean if you are are brick and mortar retailer or service provider your doors need to be open 24-7, but we need a new kind of "closed" sign. One that gives our web contact for more information NOW, perhaps a phone number that can be text-messaged or called and a promise that someone will get back to them within 15 minutes.

The consumer has now been effectively trained to get what they want now. If you can't give it to them, they will just go somewhere else where they can get it. This trend is not going away and as the target consumer gets younger and the older demos are forced to adopt technology, it will become more pronounced.

Encourage your customers to text you and answer emails right away, even if it's to offer a promise of a phone call in 30 minutes. If you don't, they will just go somewhere else.

The consumer expects you to always be there in some fashion, don't hang a clock on the door that could be a ticking time-bomb for you.

Does Brand Still Matter?

By Glen Gardner/CEO Glen Gardner and Associates

There are some that say branding isn't as important as it used to be. I've read articles that talk about the lack of brand loyalty, particularly with the younger demos.

 

There certainly is some truth to the notion that it's more difficult to cut through more clutter and more channels of communication to burn in a brand. The companies that do it well don't throw up their hands and give up. They make the brand relevant by always being new and different.

 

A company that does this very well is the Lego company. These plastic blocks that lock together to make stuff are about as low tech a toy as you can find, but have managed to stay relevant in the face of Xbox, IPad and whatever digital wonder comes next.

 

The point was driven home when I checked what had done well at the box office over the weekend. Again the Lego movie was number-one at forty-five million dollars. Not bad for a low tech toy that's been around the block a few times. I believe brand still does matter, but you have to work at staying relevant.

 

I don't see a Lincoln Log movie or Cabbage Patch TV show. Those brands did not do a good job of staying relevant. Do you?

Sticking with the Plan When Things Get Tough- It's the Formula for a Healthy Business

Call it the February fizzle.

 

The motivation to follow through on those New Year’s resolutions is waning.  The thought of battling -30 degree wind chills at 5 in the morning to sweat at the gym can no longer compete with the idea of hitting the snooze alarm.

 

Results are marginal at best, at this point-- and it is easy to question if all of the effort is worth it.

 

So often times, what happens to those morning workouts?  They stop.  Those six weeks of improvements are lost.  Right back to status quo. 

 

Effective branding is like anything else worth going after in life.  There is no magic pill.  It takes a plan, and then the discipline to follow through with the plan, even if things get uncomfortable.

 

Roy Williams,  one of the great minds in advertising, calls the first 6 to 13 weeks of any advertising campaign the chickening out period. 

 

Expect the first 90 days of any branding campaign to be difficult. 

 

Instead, commit to your plan over the course of a year, making adjustments along the way.  Every week you stick to that plan, you are making strides in the overall health of your business. 

 

After all, you wouldn’t expect to be in better physical shape, if you only worked out 6 weeks a year, would you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where the Fish are Biting

By Jason Epner

All media are good. So how do you create a competitive advantage with your advertising?

 

Think of your advertising media (TV, radio, print, billboards, Internet, etc.) as ponds and your potential customers as the fish in these ponds.

 

What happens if you are fishing in the same pond as all of your competitors?  If you aren't casting the best bait, it becomes very difficult to get a bite.

 

But what if you, the savvy fisherman, knew of a quiet, secluded lake, with thousands of the type of fish you were looking to catch?  You have the lake all to yourself.   If you cast good bait, consistently over time, the odds go up that you catch more fish.  This lake is under-fished, meaning much more opportunity for you.
 

In advertising, these opportunities present themselves regularly in many different business categories.  Don't automatically blame the pond when the advertising doesn't work.  Are you casting bait (your commercial message) the fish are interested in?  Are you fishing too close to your competitors?

 

Give yourself a competitive advantage with your advertising- that's where the fish are biting.