Hey Cable, At Least a Band was Playing When the Titanic Went Down

By Glen Gardner/CEO Glen Gardner and Associates

If you are considering sinking a lot of money into cable TV, consider this; A recent Price Waterhouse survey found that nearly three-quarters of the cable companies' customers don't want to buy the product the way they sell it. That may have been all well and good 10 years ago when there were few choices and the main competition sold the product the same exact way. What the consumer doesn't like is "bundling."

Both cable and Dish bundle the programming package proving the consumer with a ton of choice and a ton of cost. The latest research indicates most consumers would rather purchase only what they consume on a regular basis. Before video streaming, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Redbox Stream, Roku and others, the consumer had little choice than to belly up to the bar and buy it all.

That is all changing in a hurry. The movement is referred to as "cutting the cord" and more Americans are doing it every day. They are sick of paying for a bunch of programming they just don't consume. They are using the Internet to pick and choose what they want to watch and pay for it that way. In the process they are saving hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars a year.

To some extent the cable companies seem to be whistling by the graveyard. They say the last time they faced a major challenge in the 90's they did just fine, thank you. The competition in the 90's was Dish and that is bundled exactly the same way cable is. This new form of competition is a whole new beast. It's unbundled and exactly what the consumer says they want.

The technology to cut the cable is still a bit exotic and geek-centric, but it's quickly becoming more consumer-friendly. Remember trying to program that first VCR?

For $40 you can purchase a computer the size of a cigarette lighter that plugs into any HDMI input on a TV or monitor. These units are WiFi and Bluetooth equipped and operate on the Android platform. They turn your TV or monitor into a big tablet for 40 bucks. Not only are cable companies quaking in their boots, but PC manufacturers are none too pleased that for $40 dollars you can have a full functioning Email, music and video computer. If you don't believe me, just do a Google search on "Android Dongle" or "Android mini computer."

Fragmentation, cutting the cord, time shifting and DVR make buying cable advertising a minefield these days. Sam Goody's is gone, the Amazon guy owns what's left of newspaper and the last VCR repair shop in my town closed this year. Cable as we know it, may be next.

Time to Tell Your Story

By Glen Gardner/ CEO Glen Gardner and Associates

 

How long should my marketing message be? That is a question that I get asked a lot by my clients. Should I run a 30 second, 15 second or 60 second message on radio or TV? How many words can I put on a billboard? How much detail do I need on my homepage?

 

The answers to these questions depend on many factors, but generally economy is better. People these days are being trained to communicate in ever shorter snippets. Twitter is 140 characters and text messaging lends itself to truncated (OMG) messaging.

 

The point was driven home to me during a recent walk through Boston Common with my wife Lauren. We noticed a large crowd of mostly young people had gathered. They were all holding their cell phones and texting wildly. We just couldn't figure out what was going on.

Lauren asked one of the kids what was happening and she explained that it was a "Vine" gathering and there were several Vine "stars" in the crowd. She told us that Vine is an app that allows you to record and post six-second videos that loop on the Vine site.

 

When she told us about this I thought "what kind of story can you tell in six or seven seconds?" So, I checked out the app and was impressed by some of what I saw. In six or seven seconds you can certainly tell a story that has a beginning, middle and end. Some made me laugh, some made me shake my head and some made me scratch my head. In seven seconds many had the capacity to entertain.

 

So, when someone asks how long my message should be, I believe shorter is better. But even seven seconds can be too long if you have nothing to say. Make your message compelling and relevant to the intended target as efficiently as possible.

What is your seven-second message? It's worth thinking about.

Who Are You? Hoo-Hoo, hoo-hoo. Now Tell Me Who Are YOU?

By Julie Hein, General Manager

The Who knew.  And Patagonia knows.  It seems they have a pretty good idea who their customers are too.  Check out this Business Week article where Patagonia tells its customers that buying stuff from them should be avoided to protect the planet.  (Note that people didn't listen.  They bought a lot of stuff.  And I'll bet they like Patagonia even more now.)

This shows us at least two things.  The obvious one that the values of this company are in line with the values of their key customers.  The second one in my mind is HOW they said it.  Directly.  As a challenge.  An order.  You can't demand someone buy your product.  But they demanded the opposite.  It surprised Broca, cut through and had the desired effect.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

By Glen Gardner/CEO GG&A

There are times when the cost of doing nothing can be fatal to a business. I meet and consult hundreds of businesses in the course of a year, and in about 10% of the cases they tell me they are just not going to do anything "right now." They tell me they are just going to "wait it out" or pull-back until things get better.

The problem with that attitude is the world continues to move forward while you "wait it out." More than likely your competition, customers and potential customers are not waiting. They are moving forward with you or without you.

Because you are not in a position to spend substantial marketing dollars, does not mean you should wait or do nothing. It does mean you have to be very careful with your resources and be very strategic in how you promote your business.

Not all marketing requires a huge dollar commitment. One of the best uses of time is strategic planning. Developing a marketing plan, even if you have no money, is key to your future success. That plan should include measurable goals and specific timelines that put you in a position to move forward regardless of budget.

Doing nothing is usually a prescription for disaster in business. Just because you are financially behind the eight-ball, doesn't mean you go into suspended animation. If you do you may find the world has passed you by while you were sleeping. Do something!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

By Kellie J. Lala

 

 

Cue the Christmas music.  I know, I know.  You don’t want to hear that quite yet but let’s face it, it will come either way.  I am one of those that shop all year round so the stress of the holidays is minimized.  According to Chain Store Age (8/1/13), retailers are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming shopping season with 60% forecasting growth of 10% +.  They expect mobile to play an increased role in helping to drive sales with minimal help from social media.   The article goes on to say that it will be a slow start to the season (kicking in late November). Online shopping will continue to steal local market share but mobile’s influence will drive renewed brick and mortar store interest.  Retailers will offer promotions, insider coupons and BOGO to loyal customers.  How many texts or emails do you receive in a week from a retailer?  You could get lots depending upon the number of stores you frequent and programs you enrolled in.  More and more clerks are asking for emails when you check out and it is ok to say NO when they do.  Remember, you control who reaches out to you.  Don’t become a slave to your phone or email messages.  I would love to share some ideas about how to grow your $$ piece of the holiday pie.  Give me a call at 319.363.2061.  Ho, Ho Ho! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do you watch TV?

 

By Kellie Lala

 

We all have our favorite shows right?  But do you watch them in real time or when it is convenient for you?  According to a May 23rd, 2013  eMarketer article 23% of the internet users in the USA said that they had a cable TV subscription in the past but no longer.  Consumer’s consumption of network TV and cable as it airs is declining at a fast pace, while consuming on non-TV devices are becoming regular activities.  YouTube and Netflix are big drivers of this growing movement and the survey found that 29% of those surveyed watch YouTube at least daily.  Digital video is rising and TV manufactures along with networks are offering more dynamic viewing options.  Good news:  According to a recent Latitude Research report, radio continues to reach 92% of the households each week and remains relevant to the consumer.  65% think radio is more “personal” than TV. 

 

Stay tuned and I’d love to share more with you.  Email me at kellie@kzia.com.  Thanks!

Getting the Word Out

By Glen Gardner/marketing consultant

Back in the day there was limited choice when it came to putting your message in front of a potential consumer. In the days before Internet we had print, some broadcast, billboards, matchbook covers and word of mouth.

Now our potential vehicles for delivery are more numerous, but all that choice also gives us the ability to fail in many more venues and waste more money than ever before. We have Internet, social media, texting, YouTube and scores of mature media to deliver our messages.

There is one thing that hasn't changed since the days of the town crier standing in the town common ringing a bell and delivering a message. If what he said wasn't compelling in some way, people would vote with their feet and leave. A compelling offer has always been and probably always will be the key to successful communication and motivating response. Secondarily the media that carries the message must be viable.

Many clients put all their focus on the delivery vehicle and very little on the message. They tell me they "need" to be in social media, on-line and AdWords. When I ask what they plan on saying, many times the answer is, "just throw something together because I need to get the word out." What word?

A better way to approach the situation is to figure out exactly what you need to have happen, how you will craft an effective message to make it happen, and then figure out where that message will run depending on demographics, budget and geography.

If you are going to ring your bell in the town square, you need something compelling to say.