Test Drive Anyone?

 

By Kellie J. Lala

 

According to a recent report from Automotive News (11/26/12), one in five new-car buyers did not test drive a single vehicle.  I don’t know about you but I find that rather odd.  When I shop for a car, I want to see how the vehicle fits me, how smooth the ride is and what blind spots there might be.  The report goes on to say that  more than half only test drove one vehicle.  Consumers today are savvy buyers (thanks in part to the internet) but a car is not a pair of shoes or gym shorts.  It is a big purchase and one that you will hang onto for many years to come.  As we continue to speed on the technology super highway, that area will most likely have had the most change since buying your previous vehicle.  There are so many advances each and every year that sometimes your new model becomes obsolete before your first oil change.  Automakers and dealers need to encourage consumers to “experience” the new technology firsthand as the average new-car consumer is out of the market for 6 ½ years between purchases.  Any new model catching your eye lately?  If so, take it for a spin just for fun!     

 

 

 

 

Dogs and Cats are here to stay.

By Kellie J. Lala

 

 

The dogs and cats in our lives continue to get the royal treatment even during a slow economy.  For example, look how the pet costumes have grown for Halloween over the past few years.  According to Marketing Daily’s 11/5/12 article, the pet market in the USA is worth more than $49 billion in 2012, up 15% since 2007.  Pets have many of the same needs that their human owners have with food and medical topping that list.  The strong bond that is shared by the owners and their pets provide significant marketing opportunities for manufacturers, vets and retail outlets.  Pet food makes up a whopping $18 billion followed by veterinary services. 

 

In fact, 90% of pet owners pay close attention to the health and well-being of their dog/cat to keep them healthy.  The bond between a dog owner and their companions appear to be stronger than those of cat owners (hate to get into a “cat fight” over that one) but that could be because as Americans, we own 43% dogs and 32% cats of the 64% of households having pets.  Owners also feel that their dog understands their feelings better than most people.  I have certainly heard from many friends/family members that their dog loves them each and every day no matter what has happened and is ALWAYS glad to see them. 

 

What can learn from our pets….be a good listener and always greet your friends and family

with a smile and wagging tail.    

Marketing Lesson of the Election: You Can’t Polish a Turd

By Glen Gardner/marketing consultant

Billions of dollars were spent on marketing various candidates over the past several months aimed at trying to convince voters. Now that the dust has settled, the question of how effective those billions of dollars were looms large. More than $1.5-billion was spent by outside groups on both sides trying to influence the outcome of the vote. That doesn't count the billions spent by the campaigns. Most of that money was spent on television advertising.

 

So, what did all that spending accomplish? Before the election the Democrats held the White House and Senate. Republicans held the House of Representatives. Billions later the Democrats still hold the White House and Senate. Republicans control the House. I think you get the message. Sometimes we get so involved in polls, demographics, psychographics and the like, that we forget to look at the end result. Nothing really changed!

 

Much of the money spent on television ads was wasted because some of the basic rules of marketing were violated and some assumptions were made that just aren't true.

 

Bad assumption: If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. In this campaign many lies were repeated very often on all sides. So often and so obvious that virtually no one believed them by the time they voted. This bad assumption is proven wrong every day when you look at your email. Have you contacted that poor soul in Nigeria that just needs a couple of thousand to access a million that you can have half of? Have you given the Euro Lotto your Social Security number because you're the grand prize winner? Those lies are repeated all the time, but they just aren't believable, like many of the ads you've been subjected to. You just hit the delete button in your head.

 

Just as is the case with the email scams, these political marketers believe they can steal votes by repeating lies. Just show the opponent in black-and-white and have them moving in slow motion while an ominous voice tells you that person is responsible for everything from an early winter to the NFL ref lockout. DELETE!

 

Broken marketing rule: Make sure the product is solid before you spend money. Herein lays a very basic marketing principle that played big in the failure of all those billions of dollars. In the case of this election, the product is the candidate. If your product isn't ready for prime-time, you can save the money. If you look at many of the candidates who lost on both sides, the common thread is they were flawed. Spend all the money you want, but the majority of people won't buy a flawed product.

 

The lesson for anyone selling anything is; don't lie and don't spend a cent until your product is right.

 

As an old marketing professor of mine once said, "You can't polish a turd. It's still a turd." -->

Falalalalalalalala!

By Kellie J. Lala

 

Ok, I must admit I like the holidays. Perhaps it’s my name or that I love to shop and buy for others (and myself).  Whatever the reason, the season is sneaking up on us!  According to The Center for Media Research, 50% of consumers plan to spend the same amount during the 2012 winter holiday shopping season as they did last year.  12% plan to spend more and 54% say a total of $500 or more.  Those remaining shoppers say that with the increase in prices for food, gas and other life necessities, they are on a bit of a budget.  I must admit that I begin shopping after the holidays are over from the previous year.  I keep a running list of what I have purchased, that way I don’t double up on gifts.  This is also a great way to better budget the overall expen$e of Christmas.  I also think that consumers are savvy shoppers who compare on-line and big box prices.  Free shipping is almost expected when ordering on-line.  Recently, I was surprised that shipping for a shirt I ordered from a catalog was $12.95!  Are you kidding me?!?!?  That ate up my coupon savings and more!  

Why don’t we all make a pledge to “shop locally” this season. I know that we can’t always get everything on our list, but why don’t you try to first.  Local dollars spent help our local economy and right now there are lots of positive things happening in our community.  I hope you find everything on your Christmas list this year for those you love.   Happy shopping!

 

 

 

 

 

Branding --What Does Thinking Long Term Do for YOU?

By Julie Hein

A pal of mine, Tim Miles, had a great post on his blog today.  Tim is a Wizard of Ads Partner, so he hangs out with cool people like Roy Williams.  Tim just published a book, because he's smart.  Link to book here.  Anyway, the blog post today was great.  Maybe because he was writing in the middle of the night -- and most of the truly great ideas are waiting either in your shower or in half-awake subconscious.  Please read this and think about what branding could do for you. 

Is this heaven or an outlet mall?

By Kellie J. Lala

 

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to shop.  I also love to get something on sale.  Outlet stores and malls have certainly evolved over the years.  They have gone from overstocks and "second" merchandise to new and current season merchandise.  Contrary to popular belief, most of the goods sold in outlet stores today are new.  The days of last season’s cast offs, over-runs and past trends are virtually over.  This has come about in the past 10 years or so.  After the economy took a nose dive in 2008, the makeover of outlet stores began to rise.  In fact, outlets have been one of the fastest growing retail segments in a down economy.  Tanger’s (we have a Tanger Outlet Mall in Williamsburg that has expanded at least 3 times over the years) average shopper has a household income of $69,000.00 (which is above the nations average of $48,500.00).  Tanger is also opening new outlet malls near major cities;  Phoenix, Houston and Washington DC in order to compete with traditional malls.  Nordstrom Rack will double its stores by 2016 featuring prices 30-70% below those of Nordstrom’s.  Every woman loves to brag that she paid $300 for a $500 retail Coach bag.  The brand must equal the brand in quality and appearance in order for outlets to continue to grow.     

 

(Source:  DailyFinance.com 10/01/12)

 

 

 

 

 

The Prime Directives of Marketing Apply to All

By Glen Gardner/marketing and branding consultant

Many times when I’m engaged by a company, it’s to help figure out why a campaign isn’t working. In many cases it’s because a company or organization broke a basic marketing rule. One of those basic rules is never over-promise and under-deliver. It’s always far better to under-promise and over-deliver.

This rule has played out in a big way for Apple over the past several weeks, and it proves that even a marketing and engineering dynamo like Apple can pay a huge price when they stumble. The Guardian estimates the latest debacles involving Apple mapping technology and problems with Siri voice recognition have cost the company $30 billion in stock valuation.

Prior to the release of the iPhone 5, the Guardian reported Apple set the bar very high with the words they used to promote the new technology. “Designed by Apple from the ground up, maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D views, and the stunning flyover feature. All of which may just make this app the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever.”

The experience of many Apple customers has been far from the “most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever.” There have been widespread reports of glitches and mistakes that have frustrated Apple users accustomed to the buttoned-down service from Google that used to be part of the Apple offerings for iPhone.

Apple executives were quick to acknowledge the mistakes and apologize, but much of the damage had already been done and they could offer no real immediate fix. They suggested using the phone’s web browser to access Google Maps, but that doesn’t offer turn-by-turn voice nav.

The lesson to be learned is never over-promise and under-deliver. Remember, even a company as big as Apple feels the bite when they ignore the marketing basics. It could be a fatal mistake for smaller companies with fewer resources.