What about Gen X?

By Kellie J. Lala

 

They (who are these mystical people “they”) didn’t have high hopes for the anti-establishment Gen X’s  25 years ago when they were entering the work force.  But, new research (Media Daily News, 4/25/13) shows that consumers born between 1965 and 1976 are now as affluent and stable as their parents were at that age.  They have 2.5 children (again, ½ a child is interesting), majority own their own home and 70% live with a spouse or partner.  75% of them work full or part time and nearly half have stayed in the same type of career during their working years. These consumers are a group that any marketer would salivate over.  How about you? 

What are you doing to go after this group?  Traditional media sprinkled with social media is one way.  I would welcome the opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise with you, so give me a call at 319.363.2061. Until next time. 

 

 

 

Food anyone?

By Kellie J. Lala

 

I find myself eating out more than eating in!  I am going in many different directions on any given day, so I was happy to see that in a recent Radio Sales Today (4/4/13) article that the 500 largest U.S. restaurant chains saw a modest 4.9% sales growth in 2012.  As you hear on the radio and see on the T.V., this is an extremely crowded category and very competitive.  The fastest-growing large chains in 2012 were led by Firehouse Subs, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Jimmy John's and Cheddar’s (never mind that I have only heard of 2 of these).  McDonald’s must be lovin’ it as they saw 4.2% growth last year. Subway continues to be the second-largest U.S. chain, followed by Starbucks, Wendy’s and Burger King.  We all have 3 hunger triggers every day and thus where do we go to satisfy those?  If you run a local eating establishment and would like to get a larger slice of the pie, contact us.  We would love to help you grow your business.   Talk to you soon!

 

 

Countdown to Tim Miles -- a few seats left

By Julie Hein

Tim's blog today was great.  If you'd like to see this Amazon best-selling author speak in the corridor, just holler, but do it soon.  E-mail here.  On Thursday, 4/18, he's at Brown Deer in Coralville.  On Friday, 4/19, he's at the National Czech and Slovak Museum.  Both have registration at 8:45 and he speaks from 9am-12noon.

Read Tim's blog here.  You should probably sign up for it.  He shares a lot of great things about advertising, customer service and humanity.

Client Seminar is Two Weeks Away--Want to Come?

Tim Miles is in Coralville the morning of 4/18 and in Cedar Rapids the morning of 4/19.  Join us?  Let us know here.

Advertising Today: What’s Working, What Isn’t Working, And Why

How much of your advertising budget is wasted? About half? Do you know which half? 

Does it bother you that you don’t know? 

In our over-communicated, back-button society, consumers are bombarded by 5000 messages every day. Usually, just one wins. Is it yours? Would you like it to be yours?

On Thursday, April 18 (or Friday April 19) bestselling author Tim Miles will take you on a magical, 3-hour tour - full of examples - through the human mind and the sticky powers of persuasion. He’ll show you how to sequence mental images to make your company the one in your category that consumers think about first and feel the best about. 

Wait. Did that sentence just end with a preposition? Yep. That’s one of the lessons. This is advertising - not third grade English class. 

It's also practical, actionable stuff that works.

We’re going to talk about:

*  The Three Controls of Marketing

*  Every Type of Media (which special consideration for what social media is and isn’t)

*  How the brain works

*  How to begin to train a customer’s brain

*  How to continue to train customers’ brains

*  The whats, whys, whos and hows of Shareworthy Customer Service

*  How the heck to actually execute the stuff we talk about.

And, if time permits, we’ll go through a few of your specific questions. 

If you’re ready to sonic boom your business, we hope you’ll join us as we talk about the three controls of marketing.

Tim Miles Countdown!

Want to come hear best-sellign author Tim Miles speak in April?  Just e-mail Joe Drahozal.  April 18th in Coralville, April 19th in Cedar Rapids--registration is at 8:45 in both locations and the seminar is 9:00-noon.  We'll learn about what works, what doesn't and why, the three controls of marketing, and Tim's thoughts on Social Media.  We'd love to have you come.

In the mean time, here's a link to a great blog post from Tim.
Strategic Planning 101

 

For Pete’s Sake, Stop With the Phone Numbers Already

By Glen Gardner, CEO Glen Gardner and Associates

 

If you are making great use of a phone number as a "call to action" in your marketing, you should probably rethink that. We just don't use and remember phone numbers the way we used to. Fact of the matter is our phones, which are smart, do it for us.

 

I was driving by an electronic billboard today and what I saw really made me laugh and then I thought about all the money this business was wasting and it almost made me cry. On this electronic billboard was a huge picture of a rather average looking man with a long phone number under it. Perhaps the name of the business was on the previous panel, but I was only exposed to the pixelated picture and the 800 number, which of course I can't remember.

 

As a matter of fact, I can't even remember my wife's phone number anymore. The only phone number I can remember is the one we had when I was a kid. Technology has made "remembering" phone numbers irrelevant. All I have to do now is say "Lauren" and the phone connects me to my wife via voice or text. Putting a phone number on a billboard, in a radio commercial or on TV is becoming a very difficult ask. Not only do we not remember a number, we don't even remember how to memorize it. Asking someone to remember a phone number is akin to outfitting them with a bear skin and a stone knife in the year 2013AD.

 

I have become so impatient that the mere act of having to "dial" a phone number feels like Hannibal's trek across the Alps. I get past the area code and start forgetting where I need to go next. Can't I just click on something or tell the phone to do something? What a drag.

 

Even in print phone numbers are a tough sell. That's why you see more layouts that feature elements that can simply be scanned with a smart phone or tablet. The smart marketers know that phone numbers as a recall item are nearly cooked. The world has moved on, get over it.

 

In the electronic media and billboards a much better call to action is an easy-to-remember URL. A good case in point would be the board with the average looking guy. Instead of 1-800-xxx-xxxx, it should have be www.averagelookingguy.com, I would remember that and out of morbid curiosity I probably would have checked it out.

Shopping = Good for your health!

By Kellie J. Lala

 

Anyone who knows me knows I love to shop and according to a recent Radio Sales Today article, the national fitness craze is combining these two.  How you ask?  By having health clubs anchor outdoor shopping centers, you can get fit, take a yoga class, pick up your vitamins and have coffee with your classmates without getting back in your car all morning.  We all like convenience and this concept is the perfect answer.  As you look around the creative corridor in which we live you will see this frequently, many times along with curb side parking.  The article goes on to say that the health club member has a higher education, have disposable income and come to the center 3-4 times a week.  When I travel I also see farmer’s markets in these centers' parking lots, thus playing to the healthy and fresh eating concept we all strive for.  If you are looking to open a new business or have a hot new idea, you might want to think about the old saying; location, location, location!   Talk to you soon.